For The Block’s Courtney, the dream of building a beautiful family home started long before she ever set foot on a construction site.
The site manager has spent years working in an industry she always knew she wanted to be part of, but getting there wasn’t exactly a straightforward journey.
Growing up, Courtney watched friends from school enjoy the kind of family homes she dreamed of having herself. Meanwhile, she spent the first 18 years of her life living in government housing.
And that childhood dream of having a home of her own never really left her. Instead, it became part of what pushed Courtney towards a career in construction, eventually taking her from aspiring carpenter to site manager.
Now, as she takes on The Block, Courtney is getting the chance to put those years of experience to the test while reflecting on just how far she’s come.
Speaking exclusively to WHO, Courtney opened up about the childhood that shaped her ambitions and the dream of one day having a home that was truly her own.
‘I always wanted to have the white picket fence’
For Courtney, that dream was born from the contrast between the home she grew up in and the family homes she saw around her as a child.
“I grew up in housing commission, government housing, for 18 years,” Courtney told WHO.
“And, you know, my whole childhood, I always wanted to have the white picket fence and the beautiful family home that a lot of my friends from school had.”
It was a dream that stayed with Courtney as she grew up and ultimately helped shape the career she chose for herself.
She had always wanted to become a carpenter and even chose subjects at school that would help her work towards a career in the construction industry.
‘A lot of people weren’t hiring female chippies’
When Courtney finished school more than 20 years ago, getting her foot in the door wasn’t easy. She says being a young woman in the industry made it even harder.
“A lot of people weren’t hiring female chippies back then,” she said.
But Courtney wasn’t prepared to let that stop her.
“I ended up just driving around and going to different construction companies until one finally hired me.”
That determination paid off, with that first opportunity eventually setting Courtney on a path towards becoming a construction site manager.
‘I never thought that would ever happen to someone like me’
After working her way up in the industry, Courtney now finds herself competing on The Block. She’s putting her years of construction experience to the test.
And while she has worked incredibly hard to build the life she has today, Courtney said she still feels a huge sense of gratitude when she looks back at where she came from.
“Everything I have today, I’m so grateful for, even though I worked my absolute a– off for it,” she said. “I’m so grateful for it because it’s just something I never, ever thought would happen to someone like me.”
For Courtney, the journey from government housing to construction site manager makes her The Block experience all the more meaningful. And now, that childhood dream is finally within reach.
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