Sydney-based Colombian barber Juan-Pablo Rendon wasn’t named after his nation’s Formula 1 driver Juan-Pablo Montoya, whose fame had taken over the country by 1998 when he was born.
Rather, his mother had St John Paul II in mind, who she’d met as child during the apostolic visit to Colombia in 1986.
Pablo arrived in Sydney from South America at 19-years-old, almost seven years ago. He had one friend, thousands of dollars of debt and knew very little English but was filled with the Catholic sense of hope and his mother’s prayers to JPII.
“Every day before going to sleep I spoke to God, giving thanks for being here, but more I was asking for wisdom, and with help learning the language and making the right relationships,” Pablo said.
“I saw this country as an opportunity to grow and be able to help my family because in Colombia you work hard just to get by. The quality of life just isn’t the same.”
Born in Puerto Venus Antioquia in Colombia, Pablo grew up in a Catholic village around the local church, Parroquia La Santa Cruz (Church of the Holy Cross), where he was part of the parish youth and altar servers.
At nine his family moved to the city of Pereira after the threat of war, leaving Pablo’s parents without jobs and living at his grandparents’ home.
Pablo worked to afford lunch for school and contribute to groceries, selling street food and working as a kitchen hand. When he turned 15, his mother, a hairdresser, taught her son how to cut hair.
“She always asked me if I wanted to get into the hair business and I always said no,” he said.
“I remember asking my mates if they’d let me cut their hair and most of them said yes, because they knew if I got it wrong, my mother would be able to fix it.”
His mother wanted her children to have the same experience as she had, meeting JPII all those years ago, and so in 2017 she bundled the family into a car and drove through the night for nine hours, finally arriving at an old airport to celebrate Mass with the pope.
“We got there in the early morning; rain was coming down and it was just us and millions of Colombians soaking in our ponchos. We listened to the Liturgy from the speakers and watched on the screens, but it was great.”
Inspired, he along with other barber friends created a not-for-profit group, “Barbers with Good Hearts,” who travelled into poor areas of the city to provide free haircuts and meals.
“In this group I would always say when you do good actions, you’re met with good rewards.”
Those rewards came soon after when he met Christian Firex, a fellow barber who later moved to Australia and helped Pablo do the same.
“I was 19 and couldn’t afford it, but Mum said to leave the decision in God’s hands. If the move was for me, then I couldn’t go against him, and the rest would work itself out.
“I arrived in the country on a Tuesday and by the Wednesday I was cutting hair.”
Now at 26, Pablo’s an established manager at the Dapper and Boss barbershop in Eastgardens and has built a network of loyal customers through hard work, a good attitude and faith.
Some of his customers now include NRL star Spencer Leniu and Colombian music star J Balvin.
“All my customer’s matter. The people who’ve been loyal with me for the past six years, they’ve been part of the process and helped me get to where I am.”
Now, carrying on his mother’s and JPII’s mission of service in his own unique way, Pablo is helping other like-minded and hardworking foreign barbers settle in Australia, assisting them learn the language and giving them the same opportunity he was blessed with.
“They’re pretty much in the position that I found myself, and I just want to help them grow,” he said.
His faith is at the centre of it all.
“This profession is about connection more than cutting. Without my faith, I would struggle to listen, to advise, to share with people.
“In my experience, if I have Christ in my heart, I can share this with everyone in a way that relates to them, regardless of their faith.”