BUSINESS PROFILE – RYAN MCKNIGHT
A love for Anglesea By Jenna Crawford
If having a love for the town you grew up and live in qualifies you to be a successful tradesperson, then Ryan McKnight from McKnights Painting and Decorating has passed with flying colours. Ryan is the third generation of his family to call Anglesea home. His grandfather was in a car business in Colac and then retired to Anglesea. His father, who was born in Colac, but went on to manage the Australia Post office in Torquay, finished up buying land in Anglesea and building a house to occupy in his retirement. Ryan has been inspired with the history of Anglesea since completing a project as a 12-year-old at Anglesea Primary School. His project saw him produce a book comparing past Anglesea scenes with the present ones. It was motivated by a book called ‘A Street Through Time’. Since then, he has developed a really keen interest in Anglesea's history and natural beauty. He is a member of the
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for a long time and are happy to discuss the differences they have witnessed over those years. Mrs Butterworth and Mr Hickford are just two he has interviewed. He collects old photos and gets them professionally copied by his neighbour who is a forensic photographer, so they can be saved forever. He even showed me a photo enlargement of the street in which I live, taken in 1970 when it was barely inhabited.
Anglesea painter, Ryan McKnight
Anglesea Historical Society, taking photographs for them and interviewing townsfolk who have lived in the town
Ryan's desire to remain in Anglesea and build his business has emanated from his love of history and the natural environment. He wants to grow old here. He has always had a love of houses. His first word was ‘house’ and his first drawing was that of a house. He thought he could fulfil his love by becoming a carpenter. He went to a
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