Every tradie has a story. This is mine.

I grew up in Penrith, Western Sydney — a working class kid who always knew he’d work with his hands. School wasn’t really my thing, but getting out there and building something? That was a different story.

My first job was as a panel beater. I gave it a real crack — but deep down I knew it wasn’t where I was meant to be. The work didn’t light me up the way I needed it to. So I made a change.

I moved into concreting, joining a family business where I spent the next 13 years. And honestly? Those years shaped me. I learned what it meant to show up every single day, work hard, and deliver something solid — something that would still be standing years later. Concrete doesn’t lie. Either you did the job right or you didn’t.

I loved every minute of it. Working with my hands, watching something come together from nothing — a driveway, a slab, a retaining wall. There’s a satisfaction in that kind of work that’s hard to put into words.

But after 13 years, I felt the itch for something new. I wanted to grow, to learn, to challenge myself. Then a mate of mine — a plumber — offered me a chance to work alongside him. I said yes on the spot.

That decision changed my life.

I fell in love with plumbing from day one. The problem solving, the variety, the fact that every job was different — it suited me perfectly. But I wanted to do it properly. So at an age when most blokes my age were settling into their careers, I enrolled at TAFE as a mature age apprentice.

It wasn’t easy. Sitting in a classroom again after all those years, juggling study with work and family — but I was determined. I put my head down, did the hard yards, and came out the other side with my plumbing licence in hand.

In 2011, I took the leap I’d always dreamed of.

I opened JMA Plumbing & Concreting.

Not because it was the safe option. Not because someone told me to. But because I’d spent enough of my life building other people’s businesses. It was time to build my own.

The name JMA stands for what this business is — my initials, my reputation, my responsibility. Every job I take on, I put my name to it. That means something to me.

More than 14 years later, JMA is still going strong — proudly based in Figtree and serving the Illawarra region. We cover everything from blocked drains and gas installations to full concrete driveways and retaining walls. Plumbing and concreting under one roof — because that’s what the Illawarra needs.

But what I’m most proud of isn’t the jobs we’ve done or the years we’ve been in business.

It’s the customers who call me back. The ones who trust me with their homes, their families, their biggest investments. The ones who know that when John from JMA shows up — the job gets done right.

That’s what this business is built on. Hard work, honesty, and never cutting corners.

If you’ve got a plumbing or concreting problem in the Illawarra — give me a call. I’ll sort it out.