Meeting the Wheatbelt Glazier. 

Ainsley knows the region better than most. As the owner of Toodyay Glass, he spends up to 3,000 kilometres a week on the road, delivering a truck-to-door glazier service to farmhouses and businesses across the Wheatbelt. Podcasts keep him company on the days he doesn’t have any of his team on board, as he travels long stretches between jobs. 

“It’s incredible how people carve out a life in these remote spots—big, beautiful homes in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes I’ll ask for an address, and they’ll say, ‘Just head 300 kilometres’ down the road, and you’ll see the driveway.’” 

Ainsley didn’t grow up dreaming of being a glazier. In fact, he barely knew what one was until his high school career advisor suggested it. 

“I was in my third or fourth year of my apprenticeship when I realised—no one’s coming to help. We were thrown into the fire, and some of us burned, some of us lived. I decided I was going to make it work.” And he has. 



After stints working for others, Ainsley launched Toodyay Glass to service Toodyay and surrounding areas. With so many historical builds in the region – from churches to stone cottages – there is no shortage of variety for Ainsley and his team. They recently installed a piece of custom Fleming glass brought in from England for a large bay window, with stunning results. Other days, he’s handling emergency shopfront repairs, shed conversions, or fitting dog doors. 

Beyond residential work, Toodyay Glass has dedicated teams for commercial projects, including council contracts and large-scale glazing for schools and public buildings. 

His drive is relentless. These days, the industry is critically short of new glaziers, thanks largely to the more lucrative mining industry. Long days are the norm for Ainsley. 

But failure isn’t an option. And if there’s one thing, you’ll never hear from him? “Can’t.”  “Can’t is just Latin for ‘don’t want to,’” he says. “And I don’t do excuses.”