Going places with his painting
HAVING been kicked out of school – and home – at the age of 14 Shawn Hammond could have well and truly gone off the rails.
But 24 years on, he’s proud of the fact that he’s never been out of work or on a benefit of any sort.
‘‘Mum said ‘if you’re old enough to not go to school you’re old enough to get a job’, so she threw my bag out on the steps and that was that – it was tough love on Mum’s part but I thank her for that as she has been the rock in my life’’
It took just two weeks for Hammond to find his first job and he’s worked mostly in the painting industry ever since.
What he’s most proud of though is that he’s just started his very own painting and decorating business after spending almost 18 years helping to grow another painting firm.
‘‘I am pretty stoked the little bogan boy from Whanganui ended up playing a big part in growing and running one of Wellington’s biggest and most successful painting companies. And then after starting my own business, which has been a lifelong dream – things are working out.’’
Going under the name Hammond Decorators, Hammond and his right-hand man Gary Snelgar work on residential and commercial premises, focusing on both exteriors and interiors all over the Wellington region.
‘‘In my last job as general manager I was office bound, in meetings, invoicing and doing payroll which are all invaluable things to learn and it’s allowed me to go into this with a fair bit of knowledge behind me.
‘‘But I love painting and it’s great to be back on the tools.’’
Most of all, it’s allowed Hammond to get the whole work-life balance thing right.
‘‘The balance was way out of kilter. I was doing some shocking hours – I’ve got two older kids and I worked a lot when they were babies and through their youth, I missed out on a lot.
‘‘Now with two little girls, Gemma, aged two, and Lily, six months, I don’t want to do that again, you can never get that time back.’’
In saying that, Hammond hasn’t had a day off since he started his own business.
But he also knows it takes time to establish a reputation and a client base. So far he’s had no problem.
‘‘We’ve done a job in Waikanae, in Taita we’re doing a big retirement village called Molesworth Mews that has 22 standalone houses and have already completed the first stage, and we’re working on a place in Seatoun Heights, we’ve been there three days and already the client is happy to write Hammond Decorators a reference!
‘‘Everything is falling into place, the work’s just flowing in, and it’s great to be hands-on. It means I’m on the job every day so if there’s an issue with a client I’m right there to deal with it
‘‘It also means I can give the client a job that they deserve and ensure all works are up to standard.
‘‘People buy a home, it’s their biggest asset and some pay it off for 30-odd years – you’re going in there to make that better for them, so it’s really important to do a great job.’’
While Hammond’s passion for painting is obvious, growing up he had no inkling of what career path to take. Back then, the selfconfessed rebel, one of three boys, showed little interest in school and after many warnings he was expelled for firing skyrockets at a teacher on the school field.
He quickly found his feet, landing a job on an industrial mushroom farm, growing them, stacking them and crating them to suppliers all over the lower North Island.
‘‘It was a job, and to be honest, I was a shit back in those days.’’
Then he had a life-changing moment.
‘‘My little brother died in a motorbike accident. I was 16 he was 14, it was a shock and a huge wakeup call,’’ he says tearfully.
‘‘I realised that if there’s an opportunity to do something, you need to grab it with both hands.’’
Hammond left Whanganui for the Bay of Plenty town of Katikati where he found work at an orchid grower’s, firstly as a labourer and then as part of its maintenance crew.
‘‘It was a big outfit, we exported the orchids to Asia. It was quite monotonous, splitting the bulbs and putting them into pots, but it was a job.’’
Eventually he moved to Mt Maunganui, picking up work as a labourer for a texture coating firm.
‘‘That’s where the painting started. I rose through the ranks and ended up running that business, I loved it, we did a lot of new builds as the Mount expanded.’’
Upon moving south to Wellington, he got his last job, where he again climbed the ranks over the space of almost 18 years, starting as a brush hand, then painter, foreman, contracts manager and lastly general manager.
‘‘As a brush hand I got all the terrible jobs – sanding, scrubbing, making cups of tea. But when I got on the brush I realised I wasn’t too bad at it and wanted to see where it took me.’’
As a painter Hammond learned all there is to know about the products and the technicalities of painting.
‘‘A lot of homeowners think painting is easy, that anyone can do it, but the secret really lies in the preparation and the understanding of the application of different products. If you spend time doing a great job on the preparation, the end result will be better.’’
During his years on the tools, and later as contracts manager, Hammond undertook numerous projects – the 150-room Berkeley Dallard Apartments in Nairn St, the Queens Wharf apartments, Old Bank Arcade and the Majestic Centre among them.
‘‘Driving past those beautiful old buildings now the paint job still looks mint, I feel proud of those projects.’’
While work-life balance was his motivation for change, after 11 years as general manager, that in itself was sparked by another lifechanging moment, a narrow escape from a car crash.
‘‘I was driving back from a fishing trip with my brother-in-law when a lady lost control of her car and skidded head on into us.
‘‘I came to with the front wheel bent through the floorboards, crushing my legs up against the gearbox, there was glass all through my face and both ankle bones on my right leg shattered
‘‘When the fire brigade arrived they wondered how I’d walked out of there, I was lucky to be alive – it just wasn’t my time, someone was looking out for me.’’
Hammond’s a firm believer in everything happening for a reason and it was at that point he decided he would take the plunge and go into business for himself.
He’s also officially become ‘‘trade qualified’’.
‘‘I’ve completed a skills recognition course through BCITO, which manages apprenticeships in the building and construction industry, and four months ago I got my National Certificate in Painting and Decorating, that was pretty cool.’’
Over the years Hammond, a registered Master Painter who is also part of the Resene Eco.Decorator programme, admits he’s made mistakes. But he’s learned from them.
‘‘It’s all about self-belief – people have shown trust and faith in me. I’ve been thrown in the deep end and I was either going to sink or swim, but I have seen everything as a challenge and got on with it.’’
He’s grateful for the support of his wife ‘‘and soulmate’’ Tracey who has stood by his side over the past 15 years, and to his former boss’ Jonathon and Sarah Bacon.
‘‘It’s been a journey and to end up here is just awesome – sometimes I think why didn’t I do this years ago, but in saying that everything else had to happen to get to this point.
‘‘As shitty as it sounds, the little bro thing happened for a reason.
‘‘I have a photo of him in my shed and I have the odd yarn with him, but if that didn’t happen we wouldn’t be sitting here and I might not have done any of what I’ve done.’’