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A team from Wollongong has been named the best masonry apprentices in Australia. The team from TAFE NSW – Illawarra Institute, Wollongong Campus was awarded the prestigious Golden Trowel Award at a gala presentation dinner in Sydney on 2 August. The Wollongong team competed against apprentices from around Australia during the 7th biennial National Golden Trowel Competition held on 1 and 2 August 2005 at TAFE NSW – South Western Sydney Institute, Granville College. Organised by the Concrete Masonry Association of Australia, the Golden Trowel competition encourages excellence among apprentices in the blocklaying trade. Teams, comprising second and third-year apprentices assisted by a teacher, are required to complete highly technical challenges. Led by teacher Jonathan Suljic, students Christopher Barr and Matthew Salmon demonstrated their award-winning skills on the national stage. Christoper and Matthew are both apprentice bricklayers completing the Certificate III in General Construction (Bricklaying/Blocklaying) at TAFE NSW – Illawarra Institute, Wollongong Campus. Nine teams from NSW and one each from the ACT, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia participated in the competition. (See competitors below.) Competitors were required to build a detailed block wall featuring a herringbone panel in the centre with the motif of a trowel set at a 45-degree angle. The task required advanced block-cutting skills and attention to detail. On day two of the competition, apprentices were required to build a block barbeque. The Golden Trowel competition provides an excellent opportunity to bring the best young apprentices from around Australia together to demonstrate their skills. Jonathan Suljic described winning as a real honour and congratulated all the other teams. He felt that the students’ attention to detail paid dividends and was the major factor in the win. “Winning the Golden Trowel was a great honour. Christopher and Matthew worked very hard and it is great that all the hard work and persistence has paid off,” he said. As well as being part of the organising committee, CMAA NSW members greatly supported the event with the supply of blocks for the tasks and giving their time to judge the competition. NSW CMAA members are:
The next Golden Trowel Award will be held in 2007. Golden Trowel Award 2005 Competitors
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Sponsoring Members
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