Portside is a small team: two locksmiths and one office staff member. These are the people you speak to on the phone and who come out to you.
Owner and senior locksmith
Chris
Chris has worked in locksmithing since 2001 and is still on the tools today. He did his apprenticeship with A1 Locksmiths and stayed for five years, which is where he first worked on car keys and vehicle locks.
He then moved into commercial locksmithing, including work on government contracts. In 2013 he started Perth Emergency Locksmiths, and over more than ten years he helped Magnus build Amco Locksmiths. When the business split, Chris kept Perth Locksmiths, along with its real estate and strata clients.
Perth Locksmiths is now called Portside Locksmiths. It is the same business under a new name, still looking after real estate agents and strata managers as well as homes, businesses and vehicles.
The jobs Chris enjoys most are the technical ones: all keys lost, where a car needs a new key and there is no original to copy; smart keys, the keyless and push-button start keys many newer cars use; and EEPROM work, which means working with the small memory chip in a car's electronics that stores which keys the car will accept. He is also keen on smart-lock technology.
Away from work, Chris competes in motorsport.
Licences and memberships
Locksmithing since 2001Chris has worked in the trade since 2001.
MLAA memberMaster Locksmiths Association of Australasia membership.
Motor Vehicle Repairer licensedThe certification and licensing required for automotive locksmith work.
Tyrall Sutherland
Locksmith
Tyrall began his locksmithing apprenticeship with Magnus at Perth Locksmiths, and he stayed with the team through the business changes. Before locksmithing, he worked in carpentry.
He enjoys meeting customers and working out what they need. One of his favourite jobs is getting compatible locks working on one key, so a home or business can open every door with the same key instead of carrying a ring of different ones.
Tyrall moved to Perth from Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2012, after the earthquakes. Outside work, he restores older Japanese cars, including a Mazda rotary.
N
Natalie
Accounts and administration
A part-time employee, Registered BAS Agent and experienced bookkeeper, who manages financial records, accounts and reconciliations and supports the wider team.
