Tradie is nailing it as she breaks the mould

themercury.com.au

•

SUBSCRIPTIONS 1300 696 397

IT CAN be tough out there as a woman.

Especially as a woman doing one of the toughest jobs there is. But Zabreena Manjerovic makes it look easy.

The 22-year-old qualified carpenter owns her own business, Tazzy Tradie Lady, and wouldn’t change a thing in the world.

Zab, as she likes to be known, first fell in love with the job site when her dad, who was a painter, took her to work on the school holidays.

“Getting into high school you had the woodwork classes and pretty much just fell in love with it, everything became about woodwork,” she said.

Zab netted an apprenticeship straight out of school and cut her teeth on big commercial jobs in town like the Royal Hobart Hospital and the new UTAS building.

“At the time that ended I went to look at a few other jobs in the residential sector.

ZABREENA MANJEROVIC

I THOUGHT IT WAS SUCH A BIG THING TO DO SO EARLY ON IN LIFE … I TOOK THE RISK AND IT’S TURNED OUT TO BE AMAZING.

After being hit on by bosses, bullied at work, and even having her qualifications questioned, Zab figured out how to handle it – and came out the other end with a successful business.

She opened Tazzy Tradie Lady in June 2018, and services a mostly older clientele, who are comfortable having her in their homes.

“To start with, coming out of the apprenticeship, I was really self-conscious. I didn’t have any confidence in my work.

“I thought it was such a big thing to do so early on in life … I took the risk and it’s turned out to be amazing.

“(Now) I’m booked up two-three months ahead of schedule. It’s all good news.”

As a keen footballer in her younger days, Zab acquired a brain injury from taking too many tackles.

She manages to work with the condition every day, but it still has its drawbacks.

“My actual injury is called post-concussion syndrome. Your brain isn’t swollen anymore, but all the symptoms of concussion you live with on a daily basis,” she said.

In her spare time, Tassie’s tradie lady likes to go offroading in her 75 Series LandCruiser, and is active in the “Yeah The Girls” 4WD group, as well as working with high school students in the Packages of Learning program, helping direct them into trades.