We Picked Australia’s Best 30 Tradies Under 30 & Cop An Eyeful Of These Legends Would Ya

Tradies

Tradies, where would we be without ’em? They literally keep roofs over our heads, keep our water pipes from bursting and our tiles from cracking beneath us. Not only that, they’re an integral part of every community they set foot in and work to make real change in people’s lives daily.

If there’s anyone who deserves a shoutout, it’s our brickies, chippies and every tradie in-between.

Considering we’re big fans of tradies and their work, we recently partnered up with hipages and embarked on a search to find the best 30 tradies under 30 in the country. To do so, we got you to either nominate yourself or a hard-working mate for consideration, and after receiving a multitude of entries, we’ve bloody done it – we’ve handpicked Australia’s best 30 tradies under 30.

The five categories we judged on were:

  • Customer service skills
  • Incorporating tech into work
  • Giving back to the community
  • Approach to sustainability
  • Having a ripper personality

After sifting through our list, we’ve come across incredible young people from all around the country – here they are (in no particular order).

Customer Service Nominees

Junior Mpota – 22, Berwick, VIC

Junior runs MJ Gardening and showcases great customer service through his punctuality. He makes an effort to always arrive five minutes before every appointment starts, and lets customers know when he’s running late.

“I’m always going above and beyond, whether necessary or not. Such as completing a job for a customer when I’ve received a short notice and finally, my quality of work. The quality I provide for my customers is unmatched. I take the utmost pride and diligence in every project I’m given and that’s why I’ve received over 20 five-star reviews from my customers and counting,” said Junior.

Sharni Paterson – 28, Mount Eliza, VIC

Sharni works for Paterson’s Carpentry Services which focuses on carpentry and building maintenance. She’s a self-described ‘Tradie Ladie’ who loves talking with clients who show an interest in how she got into trade.

“Being a girl in a trade makes a lot of people feel more comfortable — especially single women living alone — so I always put their mind at ease that I am trustworthy and reliable,” said Sharnie.

“I constantly strive for perfection in the form of making sure my clients are 100% happy with the job completed. I have the constant thought in my head, ‘Would you do that in your own home?’ with every cut and every move I make on the job, making sure I am nailing every aspect of the job to 100% customer satisfaction.”

Alex Ironside – 24, North Ryde, NSW 

Alex believes that as a young tradie, fronting up to quote even the littlest jobs is so important. He’s a plumber whose work varies from fixing leaking taps to helping build out new bathrooms in renos.

“I want to give any builder or private client I work for the best result, even if it’s for something as little as the way they want the tap to face in their kitchen sink,” said Alex.

“It’s a rewarding job at the best of times but can also be tough. Unfortunately, it’s unrealistic that people are always going to be happy with you, but at the end of the day, even if something’s my fault or not, I know I give people all I have to get them what they need, and sometimes that’s all you can do.”

Gaylan Elyas – 23, Meadow Heights, VIC

Gaylan works in restumping, which he describes as being a very competitive industry. He says his biggest assets are his honest character, quirky personality and great smile, which all help with customer service.

“I’m a second-generation tradie and been in the building game since I was 15. I find being a tradesman an art, where we turn something that alot of people would think there’s no use to try and then we come in and change the picture around and reinstate a home to its former glory,” said Gaylan.

“I love the cold mornings and hot coffees just before sunrise and the afternoon’s cold beer at sunset. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.”

Chet Timilsina – 23, Gungahlin, ACT

Chet owns Vibrant Painting and Decorating, which provides impeccable customer service through their punctuality and communication skills.

Chet describes himself as being a, “enthusiastic, friendly, and honest soul who is always ready to serve the customers with quality work.”

Cody Lavigne, 28, Grange, SA 

Cody is a carpenter from South Australia who describes himself as ‘humble, considerate, and charismatic.’

“I strongly believe in treating people the way you want to be treated and so I (and my team) always try to go that extra mile (with an extra smile) to make sure our clients feel comfortable, informed and most importantly heard throughout our projects together,” said Cody.

“There’s no job too small, no phone call too late to take, no question too silly to answer – we even send out Christmas cards and pressies to all our clients and suppliers just to show them how much we appreciate them.”

Shane Brew – 30, North Arm, QLD 

Shane is a plasterer/carpenter, who tends to focus on the smaller, more fiddly jobs that bigger companies don’t have time to take on. Shane is a big believer in the fact that a smile can go a long way, and the key to a successful day is rocking up to a job with a positive attitude.

“Being a tradesman is great because you can see the progress of your work happen very quickly, it’s a great feeling at the end of the day when you stand back and can see what you have accomplished,” he said.

Tech Nominees

Giovanni Diana – 29, Baulkham Hills, NSW 

Giovanni runs his own business called GD Constructions. Prior to that, he was a project manager for a large construction company. In that, he developed a great understanding of how to utilise new and emerging technologies to provide detailed and accurate pricing and improve productivity and efficiency on a jobs site.

“Fast-forward to today, and my principles are still the same. Accurate and detailed pricing based upon the technology that suppliers can provide to increase productivity and efficiency are my goals,” said Giovanni, reflecting on his work.

Marco Piedrabuena – 19, Gold Coast, QLD

Marco is a landscaper from the Gold Coast who utilised a variety of different programs to gain clients and promo for his business. He reckons that tech has ‘changed the game’ when it comes to being a tradie, as it has made it easier to create systems for his business and for the team too.

Marco describes himself as being committed, disciplined and motivated, and believes the satisfaction of seeing a client being extremely happy after completing a job is the best part of being a tradie.

Harry Smith – 22, Charlemont, VIC 

Harry was an apprentice for Scott’s Country Look Kitchens and unfortunately injured his wrist, requiring a full reconstruction and minimum of six weeks off the tools. However, prior to this, he made a huge impact on the business by implementing ‘Cabinet Vision’, an online platform allowing project managers and cabinet makers to design and share 3D kitchens to size/scale with their clients.

His aptitude for tech has completely transformed the company, and his favourite thing about being a tradie is the reward for effort and flexibility it offers.

Luke Hare – 26, Boronia, VIC

Luke is a plumber from Victoria who owns The Plumbing Professor and invests in the company by buying high-tech equipment to do a better job. In this, he’s been able to win the business large commercial projects against far more experienced and larger companies.

“I purchased the company off my old boss at 23 years old, and he has helped mentor me on a whole range of business-related topics. My parents have always supported me with my ambitions. They both have trade backgrounds, the old man ran his own electrical business for several years, and they always have great advice,” said Luke.

Community Nominees

Bill Nye – 28, Tarwin Lower, VIC 

Bill’s business donates 3% of all its revenue to a village in Nepal. The goal is to eventually visit the village and install off-grid solar and a small desalination plant so the village can cook, drink, shower and all the other basics they need.

Bill has four kids, and he wants to ensure that Tarwin Lower is the best place for them to grow up, and he believes that as a self-employed tradesman, the community is extremely important to keep a solid client base.

James Groth – 23, Austinmeer, NSW 

James Groth runs Groth Brothers, where they rely heavily on the local community for work, as most of their work comes through community groups and community social media pages.

“To show our appreciation to the local area who continue to support us, we actively support and sponsor NSW Streetsmart Handbook. NSW Streetsmart Handbook is an official publication of Neighbourhood Watch Australasia which assists local Illawarra teenagers with subjects such as cyberbullying, depression, social behaviour in the community, dangers of drugs/alcohol and much more,” said James, on the over-and-above work they do.

Louis Hollman – 30, Alstonville, NSW 

Louis is a business owner from New South Wales who also volunteers electrical work for aged people and gives young men in his community work experience to get into trades. He also sponsors and volunteers at the local rugby and hockey clubs and offers his services free of charge to elderly friends and neighbours.

“I thrive on being generous and helping those who need it. Giving back, in so many ways, is one of the best parts of running my own business,” said Louis.

Markus Castillo – 29, Pennant Hills, NSW 

Markus runs a kitchen installation business in Sydney, which also runs a community-based program where they donate their time to local groups such as Scouts Australia and headspace to install kitchens in their spaces.

“I love it when we have customers just over the moon about the spaces we have created that has helped the family create their dreams,” said Markus.

“Our aim is to try and shift people’s opinions on tradies as you see far too often people in the community thinking we are all here to do runners with their unsuspecting grandmas or try ripping them off. I don’t believe a few bad apples should be allowed to ruin or shape the pre-conception of what a tradie is.”

Connor Booth – 22, Berkeley Vale, NSW 

Connor has been running his own business for eight months, and in that time, he’s sponsored multiple sporting teams and also made multiple donations to foundations in honour of the company to give back to a community in which he grew up in.

“Without a good community environment, us tradies will struggle to continue to grow and strive in our local areas. Allowing tradies to work in the local community boosts the local economy and maintains the employment rate in the community,” said Connor.

“I love being a tradie because it allows me to connect with so many new people every single day. Each day involves a new and different challenge from the last. This constantly allows me to learn and grow as a business owner to provide to the best of my capability.”

James Neil –  28, Burleigh Heads, QLD 

James is a carpenter based in QLD who spends his weekends building fences for the elderly and surfboard racks for local grommies for free. His everyday job involves work for community construction and renovation projects, and he’s not afraid to show emotion in front of a work site full of blokes.

“Being able to work with my hands and have lifelong skills that I’ll always be able to use to help my friends and family,” said James.

Will Redmond – 27, WA

Will is a chippie from WA with an incredible aptitude for charity. Will donates to multiple charities including the Starlight Foundation as well as the WWF. Will has a highly sought after blood type and donates blood to the Red Cross on a regular basis – he cancelled his plans one day to answer an emergency call out from the Red Cross for a neonate requiring an urgent blood transfusion that only Will’s blood matched with and ended up saving a child’s life.

“For someone who hammers nails into hard wooden planks for a living, he certainly has one of the softest hearts going around,” said Rachel, who nominated him.

Orexis Pangan – 27, Docklands, VIC 

Orexis is an electrician whose main goal is to do big things for his community and Third World countries. He volunteered during the bushfire at a wildlife sanctuary called Waterholes in Victoria, in which he spent a weekend there fixing their electricity for free.

“Every now and then, I comment on the Filipino social media group and give the members tips on savings with electrical installations, on what to do and not to do on the electrical part with the new homes they are building. Just sharing my electrical knowledge with them can save them thousands of dollars sometimes. It feels good knowing they can spend that money you saved them on something else like a holiday, for example,” said Orexis.

Oscar Bamford – 21, QLD 

Oscar is an arborist (tree climber) by trade and finds time outside his dangerous job to volunteer to coach and referee the juniors games at his local soccer club. He’s so dedicated to his community that “even while his leg was broken last year, he still showed up to games to help out,” said Anna, who nominated him.

Sustainability Nominees

Alexandria Foggo – 22, Kew East, VIC 

Alexandria is a permaculturalist and runs a sustainable landscaping business named Takaynar. The business was started after witnessing the destruction caused by taking materials in an unsustainable manner from the Tarkine forest (Takayna) in Tasmania.

“Our business Takaynar focuses on transforming urban spaces into beautiful landscapes with a catch. We work with our clients to create a space specifically for their day-to-day movements with productive and edible components throughout if they want. One of our most popular design styles lately has been urban food forests,” said Alexandria describing her business.

“I feel a responsibility to change the standard of the industry. I really believe that every business should know exactly where their products came from, whether it’s soil, wood, plants, right down to the uniform they are wearing and pass this ethos through the community.”

Nathan Rezannah – 25, Cranborne, VIC

Nathan builds tiny homes that are affordable, eco-friendly, reduced waste, portable and practical with ingenious designs for space-saving so young Aussies can own their own tiny home at a fraction of the cost of a conventional house.

Toby Debalek, 24, Marrickville, NSW 

Toby runs TLD Woodworking and is in the process of launching a second company called Sydney Recycled Hardwoods where he’ll “take timber from construction sites (which would otherwise be going to the tip), machine it so that regular people can use it (dressing it so that it looks like something you buy from Bunnings), and also making reasonably priced, high-quality furniture out of it.”

“As a 24-yr-old, I understand that I’m going to be living through climate change. As an individual, I know that the best I can do is to make personal decisions which lead to a better outcome. For my business, this means only using sustainably resourced timber when buying it new or preferencing using recycled timber in my furniture. I have worked at other joinery shops where sustainability is not a focus, and the amount of waste is always staggering,” said Toby.

Personality Nominees

Basir Zafari – 29, Parramatta, NSW 

Basir is a residential painter who came to Australia as a refugee and helped his community with the skills that he’s learnt in the last 10 years.

“Being a tradie, especially being a residential and commercial painter, means you travel around Sydney for work. I feel so lucky I get to see lots of places and all kinds of different people through my job,” said Basir.

Rhys Holden – 23, Gymea, NSW 

Rhys is an electrician based in the Sutherland shire who always plays competitive water polo. He has a busy schedule but manages it like a champ, and his jobs vary from commercial jobs to service work all over Sydney.

“As I have a busy schedule with water polo already, I try and stick to 7am – 4pm but obviously make things work to keep customers and builders happy. Even if that means going straight from a game or a job, I’m always willing to go the extra mile to get it done,” said Rhys.

Adam Rose – 24, Epping, VIC

Adam started his own carpentry business after enduring a number of ‘horrible bosses’. He describes his approach to work as kind, compassionate and filled with banter, most importantly.

“I think what makes my work unique is being able to have a good balance between hard work and enjoyment in the workplace,” said Adam.

“What I love about being a tradie is the kind of different people you meet every day, not being stuck behind a desk and being able to stand back after a job and admire what we have created.”

Keegan Max – 29, Lara, VIC

Keegan is not only a multi-talented tradesman but a complete ‘crack-up’, according to Jordan, who nominated him. Keegan spent lockdown in 2020 converting an old shipping container into a tiny house for him and his partner to live in, and attributes his unique persona to the variety of different work he does.

Caleb Small – 22, QLD 

Caleb can be a ‘bit of a clown at times’, but knows exactly what needs to be done and gets it done.

“He’s always good for a laugh and is a great team player. His epic hairstyle, outgoing personality and reliability are some of the many things that make him an asset to our team,” said H&H Builders, who nominated him.

Joanna Stewart – 26, Suffolk Park, NSW 

Joanna is a ‘salt of the earth woman’ and places immense pride in all of her work, which mainly involves cabinetry and shop-fitting. She describes herself as being inquisitive, energetic, and enthusiastic, and has an immense sense of ownership in her work, which is something she tries to consistently uphold.  She also describes herself as having an ‘infinite love’ for her passion, which also happens to be her job.

“Her attitude towards her work is incomparable to her peers, and she brings creative ideas to fruition and is innovative in her approach to work,” said Lucy, who nominated her.

“My future aspirations link to an industry that is still exceedingly untapped in Australia, the Passive House industry. This is what I believe truly highlights my unique work in the trade world,” said Joanna.

“I relish in how much we are still yet to discover and improve in the sustainable building industry. As well as having an innumerable amount of building materials to learn from and work with. Every stage of construction I enjoy, especially when I’m learning something new.”

William Northcott – 23, Goulburn, NSW 

William is a plumber from Goulburn who not only goes above and beyond for all of his clients but is known to ‘bust a few moves and shake his tush on the worksite’ too.

“This man will set your hearts on fire and make you giggle out of places you didn’t know you could giggle from,” said Sam, who nominated him.

If you’re looking to secure a tradie to help zhuzh up your next reno, fix a dire leaking sink problem or even provide a quote on a future project, suss out all the profiles hipages to lock someone in. 

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