He’s a musician, craftsman and raconteur so sitting down with Accessible Properties tenant Tony is part conversation and part performance.
You get a kind of backing track to his recollections – a little bit of Chuck Berry on the piano or ZZ Top on the guitar.
In a musical household, Tony picked up a ukulele when he was small and just kept adding instruments.
Mostly it was learning by ear. “When mum found out I was pocketing her piano lesson money to buy ice blocks the formal training came to an end.”
It didn’t hold him back. He’s played alongside some of the greats including Keith Richards, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddly and there’s barely a space left on his guitar for the signatures of the A-list musicians he’s worked with.
But it hasn’t been all bright lights. More recently, a head injury and tight times meant he didn’t have a home base.
The turn-around came when he dropped in to the Te Puke Community Hub earlier this year. Through their service he connected with the Accessible Properties team and was able to move into his Seddon Street unit in August.
He’s not stopped to take a breath since. A new home has made it easier for him to pick up his instruments and make music again.
“I’ve got three albums in the studio and I’ve just sold a song to Marlon Williams.”
As well as his music, he crafts beautiful cheeseboards which he makes in a Mt Maunganui studio and sells online.
It’s a great new start for Tony and we’re stoked to be part of his story.
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