I was originally an Air Conditioning Technician but it wasn’t for me, I’ve always had an interest in locksmithing and how locks and keys work with each other. So, when my stepfather offered me a job to come and work with him as a locksmith I leapt at the opportunity!

I’m a logical thinker and a people person and unfortunately air conditioning didn’t really scratch that itch for me.

I believe attention to detail is an absolute must for any locksmith because it’s always the small things that will cause issues whether it’s a key cut that’s one depth to high or low, a turns-snib that the customer is always used to turning a specific way, is your chisel just bruising the timber? Take the time to give it a quick sharpen to ensure you have a nice crisp edge.

The next skill you need is patience, a good teacher of mine always says that you’re dancing with the lock not fighting with it. You need patience for locksmithing because as good as it would be to have every job finished in 10 minutes, that’s just not the case sometimes you’ll go through Plan A, B and C there’s not shame in moving to Plan D. As long as you take your time and take a step back to think about it, everything will work out in the end.

People skills are also important, being able to articulate how a lock malfunctioned or recommend an appropriate solution demonstrates confidence in your ability and helps them understand the job you do. 

I always treat the customer with respect with a sprinkle of humour, I’ve been to countless lockouts where the customer is stressed but I reassure them by saying it happens to everyone, including myself!

The last skill I believe you need to have as a locksmith is pride, having pride in your work is an absolute must, being able to confidently walk away from a job with the customer over the moon with the result of your work or driving in the car and thinking that you’ve absolutely nailed that last job is so rewarding. Whether it’s a full mortice install that’s as snug as a bug in a rug, taking the extra two minutes to take a whisker off a freshly impressioned key to have it turn as smooth as butter or installing a new door closer and having it close like a whisper. They’re the things that a customer will remember.

I think the rise in cheap quality locks will cause issues in our industry in the future, I think there needs to be an Australian Standard to limit the selling of poor quality locks at hardware stores or from overseas. 

These products often end up with a malfunction leaving them dangerous to use as you don’t know when it will be the last use before it decides to pop.

The next issue is how easy it is to purchase gain entry equipment, the fact that I can get lockpicks from a well-known auto electrical store is quite concerning as there is no security check to buy them. I believe that these kinds of restricted tools should only be available from licensed locksmithing vendors and require a security licence to purchase them.

I think I should be Australia’s best young locksmith because I live for this trade, it never ceases to amaze me and I feel extremely privileged to be able to call myself a locksmith. Every single day I’m learning something new about this trade whether it’s a new approach to a lock or some history that someone has learnt along the way. 

I always try my best to adapt and make sure the customer is always left smiling knowing that they are in safe hands and have the peace of mind knowing that they can stay secured.

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