Cairns’ Oldest Demolition & Asbestos Removal Company
Anton Demolitions
Anton Demolitions was registered as a business in the State of Queensland in 1972. We are Cairns’ oldest demolition and asbestos removal company and have provided nearly 50 years of continuous service in this industry, to customers across Cairns and the remote Cape York region. Founded by Gundy Anton, the business today is proudly run by his son, Martin Anton. All services are underpinned by an absolute commitment to safety, attention to detail and excellence in customer service and satisfaction. This is our story.
THE EARLY YEARS
As a child growing up in war ravaged Europe during the Second World War surrounded by the horrors, hopelessness, desperation, hunger and abject poverty of his surroundings, Gundy instinctively learnt how to survive. Compared to the country of his birth, Australia was truly a land of milk and honey where any man with ambition, aspirations and a steely resolve could get ahead in life if they were prepared to get their hands dirty and work very hard. And work very hard he did…
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Like all new immigrant arrivals to Australia of his era, Gundy enthusiastically embraced every single opportunity ever afforded to him. Regardless of how hot, sweaty, dirty or dangerous the work was, he was always up for the challenge in an unrelenting bid to provide for himself and his family. Fruit Picking, Tobacco Picking, Mining, Butchering, Cane Cutting and Crocodile Hunting were many of the challenging jobs that are represented on his past resume, however it was his pioneering work in the North Queensland demolition and recycling industry that will be most remembered.
GUNDY ANTON
Our Late Company Founder Gundy Anton (1937 – 2015) built “Anton Demolitions” out of nothing with his own two hands into the highly respected industry leading company that it is to this day. If not for the blood, sweat, tenacity, tears and sacrifices that he endured over the years – Anton Demolitions would not be here today.
MARTIN ANTON
Today, the company is owned and operated by only son Martin Anton who carries on the proud business and recycling legacy inherited from his father.
QUOTE REQUEST
ANTON DEMOLITIONS FOUNDER
GUNDY ANTON
Gundy Anton arrived in Australia from Serbia, Yugoslavia in 1960 with nothing more than a very small suitcase and the shirt on his back. The newly arrived 23-year-old, and former professional smallgoods butcher, began life in his new-found country picking fruit in Victoria before travelling to Far North Queensland to undertake seasonal work in the Sugar Cane fields cutting cane, picking tobacco on the Tablelands and then crocodile hunting.
In 1962, he married Mackay born, Mary (nee Conway), and in 1964 they purchased a large acreage at the beachside suburb of Machans Beach in Cairns, whereupon they settled and built their first home and raised their four children.
As a result of chronic work shortages in the region in the late 1960’s and a lack of opportunities for new immigrants at the time, Gundy by chance or fate, first became involved in the demolition industry when he was paid by a Cairns businessman to demolish an old timber house in Taylor Street, Bungalow.
Some years later (in 1972) Anton Demolitions was formally registered as a business in the State of Queensland – and the rest is history.
CAIRNS DEMOLITION & RECYCLING PIONEER
ANTON DEMOLITIONS
Anton Demolitions have historically and philosophically always insisted upon salvaging any/all demolished building materials that had the potential to be re-used by others.
As such, Anton Demolitions established and maintained one of North Queensland’s largest Salvage and Recycling yards at Machans Beach, (Cairns) – where all salvaged building materials such as doors, windows, structural timbers, roof cladding, trusses, fittings, fixtures and old furniture were brought back and stored and recycled for future resale.
To this day, we continue to lead by example where progressive thinking “recycling practices” are concerned, and we pride ourselves in being the largest and most active regional recycler of “all secondhand building materials”.
Looking back now (after nearly 50 years) in the demolition and recycling business, it is fair to say that our late founding father Gundy Anton (27/1/1937 – 8/8/2015) would never have imagined that the demolition of his first house in Cairns, would later prove to be the humble foundations and beginnings of one of North Queensland’s largest and most respected family demolition companies.
