• Based in Bendigo
• Housing member
• Appeared on ‘Renovation Rumble’

Tony Johnson is the type of builder and businessman who likes to give back to his community and industry. This generosity spreads to both his stints as past chairperson of the Master Builders Country Sector, Council and Board of Management and charity building work he’s done in Cambodia and on the set of TV’s Renovation Rumble.

“Close friends of mine, Paul and Sue Johns, before I ever met them had lost a son (Brett) to a kidney disease,” Tony explains.

“Then their daughter Becky developed the same disease. Both Paul and Sue donated kidneys to Becky but she passed away in 2016, aged in her early 20s. It was a little bit out of the blue, Becky had gone to the US and worked as a kidney health ambassador and then she just fell in a heap one day and developed a tumour. They tried a heap of stuff and it didn’t work,” he continues.

“She used to love those reality TV shows and she would enter competitions all the time – and win!”

Before she passed, Becky met Dean and Chae from ‘The Block’ while at the Alfred Hospital. When Becky passed, her dying wish was for someone to renovate her parent’s home. That’s how Tony became involved. As part of the ‘Renovation Rumble’ grand final, Tony was asked to help with the 10-day renovation of the Johns’ home.

“It was very emotional but so satisfying to be involved in such a special thing,” he recalls.

Likewise, his work on a church playground in flood ravaged Phnom Penh (while nursing a leg injury no less) was an emotional and rewarding experience. While there on a four-month family ‘Sabbatical’ in 2010, Tony was approached to help.

“The priest of the church, he used to just see us working and bawl his eyes out,” Tony tells.

“He was just so bumbled to see someone see the project through.”

Tony has also been involved in the Bendigo Golf Day for 15-years.

“You get the satisfaction of seeing a great day go to a good cause,” he explains.

And of his time in corporate governance at Master Builders, he describes a time where he enjoyed being involved and contributing to the industry.

“Being on the Council and then Board of Management was a big eye-opener for me,” he remembers.

“Home Warranty Insurance was coming in during my time there and we pushed pretty hard for Owner Builder scrutiny,

“I wanted to give something back and I knew the avenue if we wanted change was politics. I think I’ve always been the sort of person to put my hand up and have a go at something and I think you really need to be able to do that to move forward and the networks that you make and the people that you meet, far outweigh the week off work you take each month.”

Tony has been a Master Builder since joining in 1993. After completing secondary school in 1987 he underwent a carpentry apprenticeship and worked as a labourer and carpenter on various projects from Bendigo to as far away as Canberra. In 1993 he gained his Domestic Builder Unlimited and established Johnson Homes.

“I’m hands on, working closely with clients and I’d be on site more often or not,” he says.

I think that’s why my clients come to me, because they know I’m going to be on site.”

He’s most proud of a four townhouse development he completed in 1998.

“These townhouses were unique at the time,” he explains.

“We had a 1000 square metre block in Bendigo, and the living area actually exceeded the land area. They were two-storey. It was a big risk at the time, I stepped out of the box and decided to take a big risk, which is what you need to do as a builder if you want to create wealth.”

Tony explains how he uses his Master Builders membership to keep ahead of the game. He is a regular attendee at Trade Nights.

“They help me to keep fresh, because there are always industry changes,” he says.

“They are never not a good night. It’s important to keep yourself at the forefront of change in the industry and they are a really good night to do that.”

Johnson Homes is also insured with Master Builders Insurance Services.

“I have our Home Warranty with MBAIS, the process is good,” he explains.

“When Warranty Insurance started, I was on the Board and just thought it was the right thing to do and I’ve stuck with Master Builders for that.”

Tony also uses Master Builders for building permits.

“They’re very thorough and they’ve got the members’ best interest at heart. There’s no stone left unturned as to something that could go wrong. Everything is resolved before they issue the permit,” he explains.

“[Master Builders Bendigo Office Manager/Surveyor] Adrian Sharman and all the inspectors in Bendigo I have an excellent rapport with. It’s nice to be able to get on the phone and just quiz them about stuff. All the staff there are fantastic and they do an amazing job. And I think you’d probably call [Sales Executive] Lyn Lowndes the glue, she sticks it all together.”

He also relies on the Master Builders legal department for free advice and guidance.

“I don’t think I’ve ever paid any money for legal services. I had a client trying to take me for a ride. [Head of Legal] Angelo was really good there and guided me through until they could take it no further. The last letter that Angelo drafted to him, I was told that if it didn’t go well from there, they were going to refer me to someone for further assistance. But that letter was the last I heard from the client so it was all fine.”

Tony says the keys to success in business are “hard work, educated risks and having a good team behind you.”

A Bendigo man at heart, his favourite Victorian building is the Bendigo Cathedral.

“Even though there would be grander buildings around, because it’s close to home, it’s something I see daily and it’s still fairly awesome to look at. It’s such a prominent figure in Bendigo and I love this town.”

His hobbies include fishing “anywhere and everywhere”, camping and boat building.