Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello. I am Paula Bennett and welcome to my New
Zealand Herald podcast. Ask me anything. One thing I've learned
in life is it's never too late to learn something new.
So on this podcast, I talk to people from all
(00:22):
walks of life to hear about how they got to
where they are, get some advice and guidance on some
of life's biggest questions. Today, I have gotten Ozzie in
the studio with me, literally fresh off the plane. I
am joined by Australia's favorite handyman and TV icon host
of the Block Australia, Scott cam. Scott is here in
New Zealand to celebrate the twentieth season of The Block Australia,
(00:46):
eighteen seasons of which he has hosted.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Scott Welcome, Hello, paul Up, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Thanks for coming on in. I Ca'm going to ise
us in with some quick fire questions. If you could
go to the pub with someone interesting, who would you check?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Jees, that's a tough one, Captain Cook. Maybe I love explorers.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
He'd have a story, wouldn't he.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
I've always loved explorers since I was a kid.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Yeah, just what the adventure of it?
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Of course he's well known here too, isn't he very
well known here?
Speaker 1 (01:23):
And we like it bit of contribution cook, is it? Yeah,
there's a lot of that.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
I wrote a one of books about him.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
He has named most of the bays around New Zealand,
probably without in for varying reasons. I would say, if
you heard an a drink with them with the drink,
but you might have to have rum because he's well.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Probably I might introduce him to a cold beer because
that's my drink. I drink whiskey as well, so I
think maybe we'd get a nice whiskey into him.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Yeah, why not.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
It's a bit of an odd one.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
I mean, I'd like to have a bit with a
lot of sportsmen like Don Bradman and people like that.
I do like explorers, yeah, and Australian history and you
know he circumnavigated New Zealand as well, didn't he and
drew the first map.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Yeah. Absolutely. To say it isn't pretty much named after
New Zealand, we've gotten renamed it back to originals. Yes, absolutely, Okay, Scott,
I'm going to start with some steps, which is not
like me, but here we go. Twentieth season of the
Block Australia. You've been host for eighteen of those. There's
nine hundred episodes, more than thirty four million in prize
(02:23):
money given out, one hundred and seventy six contestants on
the show, two hundred bathrooms and ninety eight kitchens built. Wow,
that's impressive. So what do you put the success.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Of the show down to look I think, Paul of
that we create family viewing. That's what we try to
do where kids are on tablets and things like that
and other streaming devices. When I was a kid, we
sat down with mum and dad and my two other
siblings and we watched Telly as a family, and that's
what we're trying to watch Evy Days. Well, no, you know,
my dad didn't watch that.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
That was on four o'clock. He was at work.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
But you know, we we we're trying to a family
viewing show that mum and dad and three kids can
watch at the same time. And because we achieve that,
I think that that's why it's successful.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
And we have new customers every year. As in contestants.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
We have different styles of housing and we have different areas,
like whether it's a sea change or something else or
a tree change, and so we mix it up a
bit and mix up the format as well a little
bit all the time.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
We do love a renovation show the way we like.
I think we've got New Zealanders and Naisies that's got there,
but in common, you know, we kind of like practical
people that are doing stuff and there. And are you
as passionate about homes in Australia as we are here
in New Zealand, you know, like one hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
I mean, everybody wants to have their own little patch,
don't they. And there's other countries around the world that
rent for the serial renters throughout the entire culture. But
we definitely, and I know New Zealand is the same
that we want to have our own block of land
and then we want to we want to add value
add to that all the time as well by renovating
or painting or putting a pool in or doing something
(04:00):
like that. And definitely we're obsessed with that in Australia,
and I know you guys are here too, and I
think that's a great thing. I've burned a carpenter for
forty five years and all longer actually, but I started
when I was seventeen and I'm in my sixties, and
so that's all I've been doing my whole life. And
then twenty five years ago I mixed it with a
bit of Telly and so I've had the best of
(04:21):
both worlds because I love Telly and I love building
and you do appeal.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
So is that because we kind of like the Aussie
bloke and we like someone that's a bit of a
straight shooter and our tradees are a bit late there,
so you are kind of, you know, like, obviously you're popular,
otherwise they wouldn't store Heavy Year all these years later.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
And yeah, I've been very lucky, and I think I've
just been myself and don't try and put on any
airs and graces or any different persona on.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
It's just me.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
So whenever people meet me they say, oh, you're exactly
like you are on the Tiger. Yeah, because I've been
rehearsing that for sixty two years. Yeah, I don't need
to be anybody else. I can just be myself. And
if in the early days, if the or public didn't
like me or the viewers, well then I wouldn't have lasted.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
No, And so did you think all those years ago
that you would still be doing it all these years
later and it would be popular and keep going and
going and going.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Oh no, no, not at all. Like I started. I've
done about ten different shows. This is just the last
show that I've done at the moment. And when we
first kicked off on a show called back Our Blitz,
which was a building show as well, and I was
the carpenter on that show. You know, my wife said
to me, well, you should do this, because I'd knocked
back the screen test that I was offered, and she said, well,
(05:34):
you may as well do it, and then you can
do something different for a year because you've been doing
this since you was seven and I was thirty six
at the time, and she said, you know, like you
might get a good six months out of it or
something different.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Bit of fun.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
And my wife and I've been married for thirty one
years and I'm still there twenty five years later.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
And isn't it cool? Because also with being a trade
is you could just go back to it if it
hadn't worked a year later. Yeah, it's not like some careers.
If I give that up, what do I do? You
had your tools to fall back on.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Well, I never gave it up.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
Yeah, so I still had a carpentry building business with
a couple of boys working for me until I was fifty.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Oh wow too, I did both.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Yeah, and I've only just sort of retired from that
business about ten years ago.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
That's kind of healthy though, right. It keeps it bit
real and you don't just become that yourself TV star
that you could have.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Well, yeah, we don't use the word TV star in
our house, we don't.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
I just go to work, Yeah, that's all I do. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Yeah, Yeah, I raised my children. They were all born
with me on the Telly. I did both. Of course,
I was going at half the time building and half
the time telly. But we you know, they were very
well educated not to ever mention the television at school. Yeah, ever,
and they survived that whole period without any dramas.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yeah, and there's just what just to give them their
own space to grow as your own individuals.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Yeah, well, I said, you know, if you mentioned that
until about it too much, people will just hate you.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Yeah, it'll just be annoying and people will say that
you're a show off or that you're this and that,
and so just don't ever mention it.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Yeah. I like that Okay, tell me about season twenty
of the Block. It's on three now. I've heard this
some twists and tunes and potentially some drama going on. Yeah,
how much can you tell us?
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Oh? Look, there is something I can tell you is
that there's a couple of firsts in twenty seasons of
the Block. A couple of things happen in this season
that have never happened before, and that's contestant related, not
building related. So it's a really traumatic turn of events
at times, and it's really you know, we always say
(07:43):
that it's a roller coaster, but this is like even
a roller coaster for me really along the way and
right to the very end, like the last four weeks
is first again, and so it's a really one of
those because halfway through the year is you know, I
was telling.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
People you have to watch this till the end. Wow,
from the beginning to the end.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, And I know it started a couple
of days ago and it's all hunky dory right now.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Yeah, feller Pilon looks magnificent.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
It's about two hours from Melbourne.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Yeah, but at times it goes pair shaped pretty quickly.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
So do you get irritated necessarily with these contestants. But
you've been let's go over the years. I mean, we
all like or get on better with some people more
than others, and so that's not so you must find
some of them irritating.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Look I do, but that's in time because I always
give everybody a fair chance right from the start until
they show colors that make me think otherwise, because you know,
I've got to be fair to them. And they're under pressure,
they're away from their families, they're getting judged every week.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
So I do give them a fair run.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
And I'm on their team right from the beginning, and
I'm on their team all the way through to the
end because I want them to make money.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
I realize what they've given up.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
I realized that some of them have worked hard, but
a lot of people don't work hard. But they're the
ones that I dislike, really, because if you're lazy, that's
the big thing for me.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
I don't like anyone that's lazy.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
When you've been given an opportunity, can you be lazy
on the show?
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Absolutely?
Speaker 3 (09:14):
You watch this series, really, you'll come to a determination
of whether some people are more lazy and some aren't.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Are the ones that work hard and more successful.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Absolutely, yeah, always, yeah, and they have a better time.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
If you're lazy, you're always looking for something to do
and you don't know where to start. But if you
just get into it and get going, then I mean,
that's my theory on life is if you work really hard,
then at the end of that you're getting an euphoric
experience from it.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
And that's how I did it. You know. I always worked.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Really hard, and when I was on television, I was
working on the tools as well in the early days,
like I was doing what these guys do in other shows.
So I know what that you for a team spirit
feeling is like. And I love it. And then you
have a cold beer at the end of the day.
You can get so much out of working hard and
feeling great about yourself. And that's why a lot of
people I think that don't have physical jobs, you know,
(10:09):
have some maybe you know, they get a little bit
of anxiety, a little bit of depression because they haven't
got that euphoric experience of working to your drop Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Yeah, yeah, and do you need I mean, like you do,
You've got yourself and then you've got some wonderful experts
and those that help them. So do you need to
have that ability to have that vision yourself or can
you just take that advice and really know what you think, Well,
it won't work, and then.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Just go for it now, I think, you know, like
if you're going to enter, like we get forty thousand
people applying for the blocker, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we're
going to forty thousand couples. Oh yeah, yeah, there's a
couple of years ago, we're getting fifty fifty six.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Well, how do you.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Know, We've got casting agencies and that go through the
majority of it, and I think a lot of those
people can get weeded out pretty quickly. Yeah, you know,
like into a yes in a no box and then
the yes box ends up being two thousand something like that,
and then you know, we get we can get through
it pretty quickly.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
But we've got people working.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
On that, and then it gets down to the last
fifty or sixty and then more eyes get on board
and have a look then. So that's how the process works,
and some of those people from two years ago get
put in a maybe pile over here for the following
years or years to come.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
So it's a bit of a casting process.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
But It's very easy for teams, couples, friends, whoever your
team is, to you know, to basically lie in the
interview process, you know, to say I can do this
and this and this, and then when they get there
on the day they can't. They're very cutesy, pie and
happy and happy go lucky, and then when they get
there they're not. So A lot of people say, oh, that,
(11:49):
you know, the drama and all that sort of thing,
But we don't create that drama on the show.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
We don't put it in place. It's an organic show.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
We just have to leave them to their devices and
it evolves organically in their personality and they're along with
their building at the same time.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Yeah, and surely is some of the drama or some
of the emotion around it because you're tired, as you said,
you're away from your family and friends, you haven't got
those same connections. You're frustrated, I mentioned I would be.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Yeah. Look, some people really handle it very differently to others,
and some people can cop it on the chin. But
you know, you sort of know what you're getting in
for when you're doing this show, and what you need
is a.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
Great work ethic and resilience.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
Yeah, that's just and I think maybe some people are
lacking a bit of resilience compared to fifteen years.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
If you were interviewing me with the fact that I
hate my husband telling me what to do be effecting
me not coming.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
On, well, that probably would be a good factor for us.
We got that.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
If you're a hard worker with resilience and you don't
like you have me telling you what to do, you'd
probably be in the top twenty.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Okay, see how much is it changed over the last
twenty seasons, because well, just the way we build houses,
the properties changed, the markets changed, I mean, you know,
so all of that. And are the contestants different than
in the past.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Look, they're very much different than twenty years ago.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
They you know, I think that, and we all know this.
You know that younger people are tending to lack a
little bit of resilience. Some are not, some are fantastic,
but some, you know, really you need to knuckle down.
And when I was their age, you know, like I
compare myself because we had some twenty eight year olds
(13:36):
on and I compare my twenty eight year old self
to them, and it's just like chalk and cheese. Even
my sons are chalk and cheese to some of these people.
There's some things that happen in the first four weeks
or say that you'll know what I'm talking about. I
don't want to give anything away, because it's pretty compelling viewing,
(13:56):
and some stuff happens.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
And I was a bit taken back and a bit
shocked as to that lack of.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Something to shock you.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Yeah, I know, I hate and I sort of you know,
gusht I couldn't sue myself in that position.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Wow, as a twenty eight year old or anyway.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
But everybody deals with different things in different ways, and
I think that, Yeah, I can't talk too much.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
It is really compelling viewing. I'm telling you, you got
to watch it.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
And our crew, like we've had long term cameramen and women,
and our executive producers and our producers. We're being together
for twenty years and we're all taken aback.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Wow, Okay, that you've got me, You've got me. Okay,
talk to me then about how property has changed. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Yeah, Well that's another thing about our show that were
you're saying, why is it's so popular. I think it's
because we showcase new products and new styles. Of building
and new ways to build, and you used to new
products internally and externally, and then of course what's on
trend in design and the finishing touches because people mums
and dads are doing this at home every weekend. They're
doing up a bedroom or their kids bedroom, or they're
(15:06):
redoing their kitchen, and that's the probably the most important
rooms that you do is your bathrooms, in your kitchens
and things like that.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
But really great design ideas, but.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
New building products and we show and we're not shy
about using product placement because that's how our show survives.
It's such a big show that we need sponsors to
support us with materials and advertising, of course, but the
great thing about that is we go to these big supplies, example,
(15:36):
James Hardy and people like that, So what have you
got that's new, and then we showcase that to show
everybody at home what's new in re plumbing, different styles
of vanities and tap wear and all that sort of stuff.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
So that's where.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Our show is great, I think for mums and dads
that are doing renovations or building a new home and
then they can get some great ideas. The building side
of things is for us it's got a lot bigger.
The original blocks were their apartments. In the original block,
they were the same size as the lounge and dining
(16:11):
of this one.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
Really yes, holy moment.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
So the whole apartment was about fifty years about seventy.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Square meds eighty square meters, and the lounge dining kitchen
of these is one twenty or ninety.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Oh yeah, a lot differently.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
So there's a I mean, and we have talked about
the lack of resilience, but in our point of view,
from their point of view, we are making it harder.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Yeah, big, big, big work, big reward, that's right. Hey,
So that auction process, god.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
I'm nervous. I I that't feeling a bit sick.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
As going to say, you must feel it for them because,
as you say, you want them to make money and
you want them to do well, Yes.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
I do, and like you know, and I'm you know,
these guys are young people. So I sort of take
them on as a bit of a father role. And
you know, I'm living with them for three months, and
I work seven days a week when I'm there Saturday,
and so I take them on as a bit of
a you know, the kids. I call them the kids
sometimes not really on camera. So I really want them
(17:12):
to do well. And we never set anyone up to fail.
That's something that people ask us. Do you get in
their way and stop them and slow them down? Okay, No,
you've got it all wrong. We support them and we
want them to finish every week. We don't want anyone
not to finish up in a week, and we never
set anyone up to fail anything.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
We want them to make as much money.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
As they can so the block for them will be
life changing, which it has been for so many people.
But again, if you don't have all your planets aligned,
and I tell them this in a dinner or a
lunch in the first week. We always have a get
together at the beginning, and I say, you've got to
have all your planets aligned. You've got to have a
great design, you've got to have an emotional connection with
(17:54):
the buyer, a great real estate agent, you've got to
have a great auctioneer. And if anyone one of those
is a misstep, then you'll probably fail.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Yeah, everything's going to be perfect, and you know that
emotional connection, which is something that I talk.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
About every year.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
We all have bought a house or rented a house
at some point in our lives, and you'll walk into
a joint your guard, I don't know what it is,
but I just don't like this place, whether it's and
you don't even know why you don't like it.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Sometimes it's too cold or whatever.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
And then other joints you walk into and you go,
I don't know what it is, but I love this place.
I love that garden, or there's something about this the feeling,
the smell, and that's that emotional connection. And it's very
easy because we've got five houses in a row. It's
very easy for someone to not get an emotional connection
with House one and just move over to House three.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Yeah, yeah, true three, because they've got choices.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
They've got five choices.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
So the emotional connection is even more important with our
situation than it is for just one house in one street.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
That's so you love it? Ah, So do you think
you've got more? You've got how many more seasons? Sho
we do another eighteen?
Speaker 3 (19:04):
No, it don't matter. I'll be being pushed around even
in another eighteen. But look, I do love it, and
I love the building process. I love being there with
a block of land. And then three months later standing
in a kitchen, and I love things coming up out
of the ground, so you're standing on dirt and then
you're standing on a platform, and then you've got walls
(19:25):
around you with.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
A roof on you. I love that price. I always
have since I was a kid.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
So I've got I'm definitely signed by the network for
two more. Yeah, and then we'll see after that. I'll
be Paula. I'll be sixty five when we're heading into
a new contract.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Young. I know, yng, it's new fifty five, I know
it is. Yes. What they say, are you Are you
one of those trade's? Is she who's married to them?
Are you one of those trad's that's own house is
not furnished? Are you block where they?
Speaker 2 (19:57):
No, I'm not one of those tradees. I built.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
I built my wife a couple of homes and finished
them completely the first years ago one when we were
first married, because we didn't have much money, so that
took a little while, a bit of a process. I
put a little bathroom in upstairs in the bedroom that
was half completed for many years, and she hit. My
(20:22):
wife had to carry a bucket of water up every
night to flush the toilet because it wasn't plumbed in,
but the toilet worked. It was plumbed in for sewerage
for waste, not for water coming in. Okay, so she
had to flush it with a bucket for a long time.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Yeah. Well, I called my coul de sect trading air
because honestly, we all are so a new fridge, and
so I wrung the plumber over the road and said, mate,
come plumber with fridge because if I don't do it,
you know, And he goes, yeah, he said a lot,
Just come over now and do it for you. Yeah,
there'd be great at the end, water away. You goes.
(20:57):
She said, I can't charge you, but b when you
see the misses, for god's sakes, don't tell her I
did this. She's been waiting two and a half years.
That's right, just like right. Yeah, he said, I can't
put a bill throw, so will take some beer.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Isn't she sees all the bills.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Yeah, so that's how that goes. Hey, thanks so much, Scott.
We're going to take a break and when we come
right back, we're going to pack your brain and we're
going to get some real advice on how to renovate
and do some DIY we are back with host of
(21:36):
the Block Australia, Scott cam We're having great, great chat here.
As we discussed in the first section, you're a trained
trade see you're a cavender, eighteen years on the block,
two books behind you. I reckon you're the best man
for advice about renovating, and I think we need to
talk a bit more about hard work and resilience because
it's just not enough out there. Okay, let's start with
the traps. What are some of the renovating traps that
(21:58):
people fall into.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Look, they're really obvious ones, and that is budget of course,
variations and if folks at home don't understand that, it
means changing your mind.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
And in the building industry it's called variations.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
And so you want to have the kitchen here with
a window there and the door there, and then halfway
through the bill you decide you want to move the
door to there. But that's been framed up differently, and
so that's a variation. Okay, that might cost you two
grand or three grand. Some variations to cost you five grand.
If you do ten of those, it's fifty grand.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Oh yeah, that's true. Now, are the budget wise and
on there?
Speaker 2 (22:34):
Though?
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Are there certain things that you should spend money on
and the quality really matters, and then other things that
it doesn't.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Yeah, I think that it's the obvious ones.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
And you put you put your money into your kitchen,
and you don't need much money in your bedrooms. You know,
you put a coat of pain in the bedroom and
it's happy days. And the master bedroom too. You know,
you could probably live with that in yourself or instead
of the master. They're calling the primary bedroom the stuff
because of that you have.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Yeah, but the main bedroom.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
Yeah, my wife always says, we don't have to do
much in our bedroom because no one goes in there.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
It's just us.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, But the kitchen everybody goes into, and
the bathroom downstairs near the kitchen everyone goes into. So
the place is that you want to be proud of
in your home is probably where you want to put
the money.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
But is something in you buy a bitter quality tep
because you're going to use it every day? Is there
something in that sort of thing as well? Where you spin?
You know, because you could spend fifty backs so you
could spin two grand, couldn't you.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (23:34):
I am of the thinking that no, I think you're
better off saving money on those sort of things because
all taps do their job.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
They've only got one job, water on, water off.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
If you like the look of it and it's doing
the job, we'll spend one hundred bucks, not because you
buy a tap for three grand.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Yeah, in a kitchens, crazy.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
Right, crazy? I find that crazy.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
And when I was building many years ago, when I
was building houses for other people, you know, they take
eight weeks to choose light switches. And you know, if
you don't have eight light switches to compare in your house,
when you walk in, all your guest does or whatever.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
No one's going to know whether the light switch is
good or bad. It's a light switch, yeah, and just
pick one. Yeah, and I'm worry about it. Yeah, you
don't need to spend eight weeks on that.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
Or you can buy a light switch that is eighty
one hundred and two hundred bucks each and we need
fine one notices that no one notices that, and thing
by one that's that's twenty dollars.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
Ye.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
I go and find like I'm doing a renovation at
home in Sydney at the moment, not to my house,
but somewhere else, and I just walked into the lighting
store and we picked all the lights and we spent
a little bit of time in that, but not much.
And then the light switches. Where's your light switches? So
we'll take those. That's it, Yeah, done, how much? Where's
the middle of the road ones? These ones will take lot? Fine,
(24:52):
they look good.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Yeah, I need them to switch off power in power,
not like we're a rocket size. Okay, So we've got budget,
we've got carefully view variations. We've got to make decisions,
is what I'm hearing from you.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
Yeah, big decisions have got to be made quickly, and
and I'm good at that because I've been doing it
in my whole life, so I'm good at making decisions.
I think the budget side of things is you need
to make a budget, and you've got to stick to
that budget and then don't add anything to it. Don't
We've talked about variations, don't change it. But you've really
got to have that budget in keeping with what you're doing,
(25:25):
because what happens is if you're budget incorrectly, all of
a sudden it's.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Half finished and your run out of money. Yeah, so
that happens a lot.
Speaker 3 (25:32):
You go to someone's house it's half done, so you've
got to know that. And the other big one is
knowing your limitations because a lot of folks want to
do a lot themselves. They get the builder and the
spark he comes in and obviously he's got to do
his bit in the plumber. But then you go, oh, well,
I want to do all the plastering. But hanging sheets
is pretty easy, but setting it is very difficult if
(25:55):
you don't know what you're doing.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
So you got to know your limitations.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
As well, otherwise you'll just have to do it again
and gets pay someone to do it.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Yeah, And isn't that how you blow your budget though?
That you think that the cost is going to be
done or I'm going to be able to do it myself,
and the next thing, it's another five grand because you
have to get someone to do that.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
So that's where no your limitations ticks into that.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
And there's also you know, there's nine inch grinders, big
tools like that that you need to use, and if
you don't know how to use one of them, you know.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
It's the best way I know to cut your hand off.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
And so no, your limitations in what you're using and
how you're doing it as well.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, then all right, so give me
so we've got examples, I'm sure mini of where they've
gone wrong. What's kind of nailing it?
Speaker 3 (26:36):
Like?
Speaker 1 (26:36):
What what does good look like?
Speaker 2 (26:38):
What does succeist look as in the finished product?
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (26:42):
Yeah, Well, painting is really important to make it look good.
I mean, that's the last thing that happens in the job.
If a painting looks orderary, then the whole job looks ordering,
doesn't it. And I think standards, you've got to set
yourself a set of standards in your own head. Acceptable standards.
They're cord and if someone walks in and goes, oh,
this looks good. But if you walk in and go, well,
(27:02):
I don't like that and that looks bad, well then
the acceptable standards haven't been processed and stuff there.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Yeah okay, So would you advise anyone to give it
a go?
Speaker 3 (27:12):
No, I don't think so, because people admit to themselves
that they're no good at handy but you know, handywork
and things like that. And you know, I've got mates
that couldn't hang a picture, which I find bizarre. But
that's all right, because you just presigned yourself to. You know,
I can't hang a picture, so I'm never going to
try and do it. I'm like that with technology.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
Yeah, I know what you got at, what you're not.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
That's what you know.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
And if something goes wrong with my computer, I don't
even attempt to anything to even if I push a button,
something might disappear. Yeah, so I have to wait for
my son to come home and he fixes that for me.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
Yeah. We had a wonderful ad. It was these kids
and the playground and they're kind of like Jones. You
know how much to do your dagang and you know,
do this and do that, and then finding someone says, mate,
you know, do it yourself and he sort of can't. Well,
well you because you know, I was under John Key's haven.
We used to call him Jones because he couldn't. He
couldn't even couldn't even knock on the wall and goes.
(28:06):
My aim was always to make enough money that I
could pay someone else to do it.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Jonesy has become a term for someone that's no good.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
In building, Yeah, but it was a kid on a TV.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Yeah, for what building supplies? I think, God, I haven't
seen it for a while. Was it something Yeah, it
was might a t so it's a mighty tea in
and he's kind of like, I can't remember the whole.
It just became this thing. It was quite funny and
the way it was done it was, you know, these
kids discussing how they're going to build something and then
the other one, you know, no, he was going to
he was going to do it that way.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
We had that in Australia called not Happy Jan. Have
you heard that's just an add on the telly.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
Yeah, there you go.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
And it became if you weren't happy, you'd say not
happy Jan.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
And there was a woman say that to one of
her staff.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
That's how it takes off.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Right.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
Okay, let's go back to a the TV shows like
The Block, but you know, equal sort of where we're
at in life, you know, and particularly if you're looking
at renovating and doing a lot of it yourself, you've
got to be prepared to work hard. Yeah, but duty
and it just feels like, as you say, now, younger ones,
I notice that that lack of resilience that you know.
(29:16):
And in fact recently it was an Australian recruitment company
that sort of turned around and said that they think
that younger people have got much higher expectations of what
they think they should be doing and should be worth
instead of what the reality is. And when you see
that in human nature, don't you?
Speaker 3 (29:32):
Yeah, I look, And having said that, I don't like
to say that a lot, but I do agree with
you one hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
But I know a lot of young kids that are
really great.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Yeah, hey, and.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Lots of them too.
Speaker 3 (29:43):
But I think the concept of people say to me someone,
I'm giving it one hundred percent, and I go, like,
you cannot say that to me because your one hundred.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
Percent is my forty percent.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
Yeah, And a lot of people I know, so you're
not giving one hundred percent in your mind, you are,
but number one. You need to give one hundred and
ten percent anyway, But your one hundred in your mind
is actually everyone else is forty.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
So where did you get that workI sect.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
Well, I started working in the seventies. And when you
worked until you came home and laid on the floor
every afternoon on my back on the lounge and floor
to stretch my back out and rest my shoulders and
arms because it was exhausted. Yeah, And that was the
norm of what you did. I worked for my brother
who was five years older than me, a big guy,
(30:34):
and he worked really hard, so I worked really hard.
My dad was a professional fisherman with his dad and
his dad.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
And they worked really hard.
Speaker 3 (30:43):
And then but then they went into frozen fish and
things like that down the track.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
But yeah, I mean.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
You'd seen it, you'd loved it, your breathe it.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Yeah, and if you but that was the norm, you know,
that was you had to go to work and you
worked until you were You come out of that day
at four thirty five o'clock and you get into your
stiff as stiff as a board and go home and.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
Have a couple of beers. My dad, but what are
your foric feeling?
Speaker 1 (31:09):
Well, yeah, yeah, yeah, you're doing to My dad was
a carpet and lino layer when lino was thing. So
my job is the only daughter and as the kid
was to walk on his back to try and stretch
and track it. It's kind of like which sounds weird,
but you get it right.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
I've been telling people your job is very so I
couldn't close them up because they're so stiff.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
Wow your fingers, yeah, yeah, So what advice would you
give to someone that was thinking about putting their name
forward for the block.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
Well, I think that you've got to be careful what
you wish for in the block. It's it's really hard.
You don't sleep that much towards the end of the week.
You've got to work really hard. The rewards are incredible
if you do everything right. But you know, everybody that's
been on the block that's done it the right way
says it's the hardest thing they've ever done, but the
best thing.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
Yeah, most rewarding. Okay, all right, I like that, Scott.
The podcast is called Ask Me Anything, and I feel
like I've done all the asking. So this is your
(32:18):
chance that if you've got a question for me, that
you can ask me something.
Speaker 3 (32:21):
Well, I feel as though you've got that's thank you
for letting me ask you a question. And we've talked
a lot about doy and all that sort of thing,
and you've got you've got a tradey hobby, yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
And kiddies trading. So what are you? Are you a
handy person in the home.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
Do you get in and do a little bit of
work and have you had a massive fail mate?
Speaker 1 (32:45):
M mmmm, So I've only been married about twelve years.
And so the kids are step children and my own children.
So we're a nice you know, we're a nice planted family.
Otherwise it's going to sound weird that I think I've
got you know. Anyway, So before being married. The truth
of the matter is that I if I was hanging
a picture on the wall, I'd do at the heel
(33:07):
of the schoe. I sense the hesitation to say that.
I just I would not have a bone in my body.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
Still.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Yeah. No.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
But also if you've got a trading husband, but you
don't need to do it.
Speaker 1 (33:23):
He's so practical, and he's one of those guys as
well that he can kind of tune his mind to anything,
you know, And he's incredibly clever, and so he can
tune his mind anything. He hate me doing it, you
know what I mean, to the point where and he's
a perfectionist, and so he would just be absolutely horrified.
But when I was thinking about interviewing with you, I was, God,
I don't think I even owned to Himmer before he came.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Or you wouldn't either, would you.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
I bake really well though, and so I could hear
the yeah, and so the neighbors, and that's something as well.
If it was a small job, you know, then I
could A cake would get me the long build a neighbor.
I make this amazing Russ with shortcake. He calls it crack.
He we consist, So that's good.
Speaker 3 (34:07):
Well, you know what us trade is we like to
make our wives proud, so we're puffed up like pancakes
when we do something that they're happy with.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
Whe there you go.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
Yeah, so my wife lets me do it all so
then she knows I feel proud of myself.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
Okay, parting segment. What's the best advice you think you've
ever been given? Or I give? Because you give a
lot of advice.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Look, because I've been around for a while, I tend
to give a bit of advice. But you know, really,
advice it only suits the person giving it. That's something
that I lived by my whole life because older blakes,
when I was younger, it's given you should do this,
this and this, so but that suits you.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
That doesn't suit me at all.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
So advice is one of those things I don't like
to give out too much to younger people because they've
got to find their own feet. But the thing I
found in certainly working in television and outside in my
job is is I've never been late. I hate people
that are late. I've worked always really hard. I've never
asked for anything either. I'm always self sufficient and I'll
(35:06):
always come prepared. So that's this bit of advice or
you give someone that's starting a new job, or someone says,
what do I do to get into television? Those things
in television are so important because a lot of people
are late, a lot of people ask for a lot
of things.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
They don't come prepared because they think they're television. So
everybody's going to do it all for of them.
Speaker 3 (35:24):
Yeah, but if you tread it like a job, which
it is, then you might go all right.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
Yeah, good on you. Well, I've totally thoroughly enjoyed having
you year. It's got came so good to have you
in the country and with me here in the studio. Today,
you can all catch Scott on season twenty at the
Bloc Australia. As we said, it's underway, so going if
you haven't cheaked it out, go and look at Go
and look at three and you can catch your past
episodes on three. Now. Philip Island extraordinary and it sounds
(35:51):
like we've got some really exciting drama coming up and
we all like a bit of that in our lives.
And that's it for another episode to Ask Me Anything.
If you've enjoyed this episode, please follow Ask Me Anything
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check out some of our past fabulous gifts while you're there.
Only back next Sunday with another great guest. I'm Paula Bennet.
Ask Me Anything. Goodbye,