Blue Peace Pest Control Keeping Homes Safe For 30 Years

Why made you choose the Pest control Industry?
In the early 90’s, Australia was still in a recession and had little luck in getting the jobs I was applying for. In 1992, I answered an ad in Sydney Herald, where they needed a University graduate in science with sales experience and living locally Eastern Suburbs…it was a company called Academic Pest Control. I had all the required criteria and more, so found myself working for the company, and 3 years later we reached an agreement with my boss to work as a subcontractor instead of being an employee. I started Blue Peace as a sole trader in Feb 14, 1995.

I had 10 successful years in Sydney, and in 2005 when my father passed away, myself and Gloria my partner, moved to the Whitsunday paradise and set up camp here. We had come up here in 1999 for holidays and ended up acquiring an investment property in Island close. I was hooked on the region and began to plan the move and started advertising prior to the move to test the waters…. it paid off!

The preference from most commercial clients such as the shopping centres, Whitsunday Regional Council, hotels/resorts, body corporates, etc prompted me to become a Pty Ltd company which was incorporated at the end of 2006.

Behind every great man is a great woman, and in 2018 I lost my lovely Gloria. She was definitely a pillar of support and I miss her terribly.

What would be your best or bests memories from your work?  
Perhaps it was working with Inspector Blue my beagle termite sniffer dog. I needed to stand out from the existing competition which was fierce. As the property market in the Whitsundays was booming in 2006, Inspector Blue put my business on the map.

Initially, my firm was highly recommended by agents to potential buyers however, Blue was too good at his job, and ended up stuffing up a few sales for the agents and or sellers☹ Blue worked with me until 2017 when he went into retirement and became a pet. He went to dog’s heaven in 2021. I still miss him.

Any dangerous moments or accidents that marked you whilst being a pest technician?
Yes, in December 1999, whilst doing a bird-job for a highrise building in Sydney, I fell 7 metres off a ladder onto the spiral concrete ramp of the underground carpark. I destroyed my knee in a million pieces and had a reconstruction that affected my job for several months after that. I learned my respect for ladders which I still apply the outmost safety today.

Another time, whilst doing a pest inspection in a castle in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, I almost got trapped in the subfloor. I had to summon all my willpower to remain calm. The access between rooms had a funnel like in the sandstone manhole - easy to slide in, but I had to take my overalls off, concentrate and turn into a contortionist to free myself back into the hallways. I remember asking the staff of the castle to keep talking to me or tell me jokes through the air vents to keep my mind occupied. It was borderline to panic and developing claustrophobia.

Special achievements from your firm?
Yes, my bad debtors amount only to 3! In the 30 years. Only one person didn’t pay for a pest inspection. The other two - I took one to court and won the case and got most of the invoice paid, the second “forgot” to pay. Regardless, in 30 years, bad debt amounts to less than $9000 (including $8400 from a construction company that went into liquidation. That is good choice in clients which has also resulted in zero legal claims!

Your oldest continuous client?  
Airlie Beach Hotel from 2007 until present!

Coolest job?
I flew my light aircraft to Hamilton Island to do a termite quote for a very prestigious luxury home that had just finished being built and was attacked severely by termites. Termites were dancing lambada on the physical blankets recently installed by a main competitor of mine.

The owner insisted to the builder to use our firm to solve the problem and me and my partner were offered to stay at that house for 3 nights whilst I carried out the remedial treatment. Instead of me paying the high amount for the accommodation, I and my partner Gloria, stayed at the holiday house in question and Blue Peace got paid a substantial amount for the immediate action on addressing another supplier’s error up as the builder was on a deadline.

Most challenging job?
Eradicating the termite activity for the Whitsunday Regional Council in the timber post on the water of the pier in Shute Harbour. In 2007. At the time, the Termidor dust was just being launched, termicide foams were not yet invented, just arsenic dust!  Being a Marine Biologist myself, I could see the potential of an environmental disaster by having poison falling or leaking into the sea!

I called for reinforcements, the representative of the pesticide’s companies, my insurance company, the media, etc. BASF came to the rescue as they were about to launch the Termidor dust which was the safest and most effective way of tackling the issue. The rep came in person to assist and a promotional video came out of it.

DISLIKES of your job?  
That I am actually in the killing business to make a living!  I greatly identify with the Buddhist philosophy of life. I don’t even go fishing as the killing of the fish puts me off!
Having said that, nowadays, 75% of my business is doing preventative jobs working with over a 20 building companies installing physical termite barrier systems at the time of construction. I tried a few systems, and in 2008 I finally found TERMSEAL, which is by far the best product in the market for pre-construction termite protection. I find this preventive type of treatment far less karmic and cheaper.

Any transcendental comment or rewards that your job brings you?
Meeting new people and reconnecting with previously met souls. I feel sometimes that my job is just an excuse to allow me to reconnect with persons and souls from the past, as if I was retracing my life steps in a process of redemption, reconciliation and/or transcendence. I have had mostly superb and great beings as my clients. One of them, a lady in Sydney, actually became a close friend.

Joys that your job brings:
I have also been very fortunate in having had wonderful employees along the years whether short or long term. It is true that one learns more when one is teaching. Having the opportunity to mentor the employees, which nowadays several of them are close friends, brings me great satisfaction. I am not only talking about pest control knowledge, it also extends to philosophy of life, business ethics, discipline, etc I can sleep sound at night having the satisfaction that the jobs have been done properly.  

What would you say is the key to success for someone starting a new business?
Perseverance and equally, or more important, is the willing to do what others won’t or are not prepared to do

Some of our major builders and commercial establishments we would like to thank are:

   1. GJ Gardner Homes
   2. Blue Palm Properties
   3. Red Emperor Constructions
   4. Green Homes
   5. Ryan Building Group
   6. Apex Homes
   7. Airlie Beach Constructions
   8. Eastwood Projects
   9. Abel Morris Constructions
   10. Ben Dooling
   11. Peto’s Constructions
   12. Seamer Constructions
   13. Trevor Harrison Builder
   14. Paine Builders
   15. Baden Touhy Constructions  

   1. Airlie Beach Hotel  
   2. Dingo Beach Hotel
   3. Montes Resort                                    
   4. Mika
   5. Tasman Caravan Park
   6. Archers Body Corporate
   7. The Hostel
   8. The Rainbow Café
   9. Sorrento’s
   10. Sushi House Whitsunday Plaza
   11. Joa Sushi Bar Airlie Beach
   12. Sidewalk Café
   13.  D'Viet House/Korean BBQ Grill

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