In the industrial heart of Bohle, the northern suburb of Townsville just a few kilometres north-east of the city centre, sits Armstrong Mechanical Solutions, a bustling, busy workshop that is the brainchild of Courtney Armstrong.
At just 27 years of age, Courtney has crammed plenty of experience into her decade as an automotive industry professional. Dual qualified as a diesel fitter and light vehicle tech, she has an engineering diploma and more licences and certifications than you can shake a stick at, while her experiences range from repairing air conditioning systems in her garage at home to assessing the condition of the heavy vehicle fleet at an international mine site.
Today, Courtney oversees a team of six at her business – a business that offers a wide range of services to the Townsville region. From logbook servicing and light vehicle repairs to heavy truck and equipment maintenance, roadworthy inspections, and DPF cleaning, Courtney and her team at Armstrong Mechanical Solutions can deliver just about any service that is required.
More than just ticking boxes, Courtney’s business also offers something a bit extra for clients in the form of advanced fleet condition reporting and maintenance – a solution that ensures they get more from their vehicles, and more from their investment.
“We have developed internal processes to monitor the condition of the fleet vehicles and equipment that we look after,” explains Courtney. “Then we can put forward to our clients the option of adding oil supplements and re-engineering certain things to increase how long those components operate.” That solution is part of Courtney’s vision for her business to be about delivering quality.
DESTINED FOR THE TOOLS
Courtney was probably always fated to spend her days tucked under the bonnet and in an engine bay. Her father is a diesel fitter, so she grew up around the industry, but the connection goes back even further than a childhood spent tinkering on machinery with her dad.
“I was actually born in a Hastings Deering work ute on the side of the road in Ipswich!” Courtney says with a laugh. “My dad was on night shift in Archerfield, and he left work because my mum rang him to say she was in labor. Obviously, they didn’t make it all the way to the hospital, and I was born on the side of the road in his ute.
“I’ve actually been told by my mum that my dad was running around crazily with zip ties and snips saying, ‘I’ll cut the cord! I was born on a farm. I’ve delivered cattle and cows. It’ll be fine!’”
From that frantic start, Courtney’s love for the hands-on, get-things-fixed work of a skilled mechanic grew throughout her childhood, and her path to a career in the industry was seemingly set.
“I have a photo, from when I was about 12 years old, of me in my dad’s Hastings Deering work uniform because I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” she says.
THE START OF THE JOURNEY
At 15, Courtney began a school-based apprenticeship in her father’s mobile diesel fitting business, although she would put that on pause. She did some work experience in the mines, worked as a dragline cleaner and confined-space supervisor, and began studying for an advanced diploma in engineering before the opportunity emerged of an apprenticeship with mining giant Anglo-American.
Within a couple of years, she was off again in search of more challenges, working for a company that rebuilt components used on mining machinery and, after completing her diesel fitting apprenticeship, found herself, at just 20 years old, working in New Caledonia at a nickel and cobalt mine. There, Courtney was assisting with monitoring the condition of the mine’s fleet of heavy haul trucks – experience that has since flowed into the services offered by her current business.
With her trade now completed, and with a decent bit of experience under her belt, Courtney headed back to Australia and worked for a while in the mines before deciding that the time looked right to start something of her own. It was 2021 when Courtney took the leap to establish her own business.
Armed with a 79 series single-cab LandCruiser and the all the right certifications, she left her job in the mine. As can sometimes happen, life then decided to throw a curveball her way.
“It was always an ambition of mine to start a business,” says Courtney. “On my days off I was a glutton for punishment . . . I would do cashies on the side for mates while still working in the mines seven-and-seven and studying.
“I got to a point where I was working at the mine and had done my RPL for my light vehicle trade and decided that I’d just do it . . . Obviously, there was like a lot of financial and strategic planning prior to that point . . . but I quit my job, took off in my ute and about three weeks later I found out I was pregnant with my first daughter!”
Courtney worked in the mines for a time during her pregnancy, but six weeks after giving birth, she was back to the hard yards of establishing her business.
“The LandCruiser was a single cab – and I couldn’t put a baby in a single cab – so I was fixing cars and doing air conditioning at my house with her in a swing in the garage!” she says. “Eventually, she got old enough where I could have her in daycare and I was busy enough to get a shed.”
Courtney says that things got too big too quickly and she made the call to downsize and refocus and scale back more slowly.
“In my head, when I thought about my business and what I wanted it to be, it was always supposed to be centred on quality over quantity . . . It’s always about the craft of being a mechanic and being able to fix or diagnose . . . and utilise the skills that we’ve got,” she says. It’s a mindset that has helped to build Armstrong Mechanical Services into a business of which Courtney is very proud.
THE APPEAL OF AUTOMOTIVE
So what is the draw of a career working in the automotive industry? While Courtney seems to have always been destined for such a life, what does she love most about what she now does? One of the biggest draws, she says, is the constant learning.
“Technology and systems are forever upgrading or expanding … it’s never dull,” she explains. “You always can learn something if you put your mind to it.” That desire to learn and expand knowledge is one that inspires Courtney not just as a tradesperson, but as a business owner too – a position that enables her to mentor others.
“My administration staff – some of them haven’t come from a technical background – and having someone who doesn’t know they enjoy reading or interpreting technical drawings but then learn that’s something they really enjoy and prosper – that’s great to be involved in.”
Along with a determined mindset and the willingness to learn and explore the technologies and concepts that spring up in the automotive sector, the foundation to Courtney’s success comes down to personal qualities she says she has instilled into her business as core values: adaptability, accountability, teamwork, honesty and grit. Grit – not an oft-used word – is, she says, essential.
“There was a certain point in time when I was that determined to make everything here succeed that it was to the detriment of my own health,” she says. “I was working 18 hours a day, seven days a week with a baby and a partner who worked away in the mines. . . . And any sort of roadblock that you can think of in your head happened . . . everything.
“I suppose, when you look back on it, the universe does those things to see how much you really want something in your life . . . I just kept going and didn’t stop.”
For Courtney, there was little thought of pursuing any other career than one in automotive, and that determination – along with the passion for her craft – is helping her to realise her goals. Seeing more young women take the opportunity to pursue a career in the auto trades is something she would love to see.
“If you’ve got a passion for mechanics or for understanding mechanical principles, then just do it. Go for it,” she says. “Even if you fail or find that it’s not something you like, it’s still a skill that, once you have it, no one can take away from you.”
