A local business man has won a national locksmith award after competing against over 60 applicants.
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Jackson Meredith from Macleay Locksmiths and Security has been named Australia's Best Young Locksmith by LSC Security Solutions.
The 26-year-old locksmith said he was pretty stoked with the award.
"I didn't think I was going to win it at all because there was pretty fierce competition," he said.
Mr Meredith received a call months prior to let him know he was in the top four applicants and to expect a phone call interview to discuss why he should receive the award.
On the same day the phone interview was meant to take place, Mr Meredith was called to a job in South Kempsey.
"Because I was on the spot so much working, and I had people around me, and I'm on the phone as well as on the job, I just thought I did terrible on this interview," he said.
"I think it was about two hours later that day they called me as said [I] won."
The award winning locksmith has not only claimed a trophy for his hard work, but the title comes with a $2000 TechEd voucher and $2500 worth of tools and products.
He expects the prizes to make a difference to the business.
Growing business
Mr Meredith first got into the locksmith industry when he was 15-years-old living out at Temagog.
After spotting an advertisement in the newspaper for the local locksmith, he went to meet the owner and was employed the same day.
He started off with cleaning jobs and helping out at the shop but soon started picking up tools and learning the trade.
He began his apprenticeship in Kempsey before travelling away to Sydney for a few years.
On his return back to the Macleay, he decided to start his own locksmith company, Macleay Locksmith and Security.
"As soon as we started it was just strength to strength straight up which was fantastic," he said.
"We didn't think it was going to be so busy and it was straight out the gate."
The business that began in a mobile van in 2020 soon set up a storefront on Belgrave Street, Kempsey in 2022.
His time as an apprentice has helped shape the business with Mr Meredith not charging to unlock cars with children or pets inside due
The company policy is due to his own experience as an apprentice attending a job where a woman has accidentally locked her child in the car.
"She was trying for 30 minutes to get her kid out the car, trying to throw rocks at the glass," he said.
"I could see how stressed she was...[and] ever since I saw that I just decided.
"It is a little bit more community minded but it's something no one should charge especially in an emergency situation."
Looking to the future
As a locksmith, most of Mr Meredith's jobs are to do with cameras and alarms.
He believes one of the reasons why he won the award was that his business has evolved with technology.
"We've sort of taken the initiative to move forward where the market wants us to be so that's with electronic security," he said.
"Locksmithing for us is always here.
"It's our niche, its what we do best but the security side is where we make our time flow."
As electronic security becomes more affordable and commonplace, Mr Meredith said it was important for locksmiths not to 'get stuck in a rut'.
"All the old stuff is still going to be around but you're going to see less and less of it," he said.
"I fee like the electronic side of things- that's where it's going.
"As a community locksmith, that's where we need to push ourselves to go forward."