Plasterer Spotlight: Anthony Axon

Anthony Axon just hit 20 years in the plastering trade. While we’ve spoken to some tradespeople who felt instantly drawn to drywall finishing as if by a magnetic force, Anthony just kind of fell backward into it: when he left high school after year 11 and looked for work, it was the first thing he found.

“To be honest, it was what was available at the time,” Anthony told us. “Basically, through high school, I probably wasn't engaging myself enough. Then my parents just said, ‘Look, you're probably better off trying to find a job.’ I just opened up the local paper and plastering happened to be — well, the company was only, I don't know, five minutes away. I signed up with that. I never had the ambition probably to get into the business or to even own a business — that wasn't even on my radar, to be honest. It's just fallen into place.

“Then I had a good opportunity working with different crews around the country. I suppose I've just got quite efficient at taping, especially just from learning different things from different people. Then, once the money started coming in, I was like, cool, this can be something for me. Once I probably woke myself up a little bit and really threw myself into it, it's just been super rewarding for me.”

Little by little, Anthony fell in love with the trade. Eventually, it led to him running his own business, Axon Plastering, which Anthony says he keeps to a boutique size (10 to 15 plasterers at most) to keep the quality up to his high standards. 

Based in the Geelong region of Victoria, Australia, Anthony prides himself on fostering an environment where his team feels encouraged and appreciated — something he tells us he didn’t always have in the early days of his career.

“I've worked really hard on creating a community within the business that's supportive,” says Anthony. “I want everyone to be happy and to grow, because I did have probably a rougher time through my apprenticeship with the employees that we had. They were — I wouldn't say that it was on the agenda for them to treat people well. It was more just, get the work done and move your ass, so to speak. Now it's more about just creating something that has opportunities for people to grow.”