MTA Queensland held its annual Industry Awards Gala at the Emporium Hotel in Brisbane on November 20. More than 200 guests from across the state were in attendance, including MTA Queensland members, industry stakeholders, corporate partners of the association, and political representatives, as well as friends, family, and colleagues of the MTA Queensland awards finalists.
Hosted once again by Channel Seven’s Ben Davis, special guests included Winter Olympic Gold Medallist Steven Bradbury; the Hon Mark Bailey MP, Minister for Transport and Main Roads; and James Martin MP, ALP Member for Stretton and a member of the Transport and Resources Committee.
An early, and very moving, highlight of the evening was the Welcome to Country ceremony performed by Songwoman Maroochy Barambah, Aboriginal Elder of the Turrbal tribe. It was an inspirational start to the Awards Gala.
The climax of the evening was the presentation of the MTA Queensland awards, which recognise the contributions and achievements of individuals and businesses through the Community award, the Innovation award, the Women In Industry award, and the Apprentice of the Year award.
These awards, and recognising the finalists for them, are really what the evening was all about, but before announcing the winners of each category, there was some fun to be had, some money to be raised, and some speeches to be made.
First up were MTA Queensland Chairman Paul Peterson and CEO Rod Camm, who both welcomed guests and awards finalists, outlined MTA Queensland’s past year and the direction the Association was taking moving forward.
For Mr Camm, the 2021 Gala marked the end of his first year as CEO of the MTA Queensland Group – a year that had been another challenging one as the COVID-19 pandemic, and the associated restrictions and lockdowns, continued to plague the nation, and the technological developments in, and disruption of, the industry gathered pace.
Initiatives introduced by Mr Camm in the past 12 months included the concerted push to connect with members through regional visits, and the launch and expansion of the Association’s micro-credentials program. Launching in December, and set to be an exciting project in 2022, is the Auto Women initiative, the aim of which is to raise the profile of women in the automotive industry, promote professional development for them and highlight the advantages of gender diversity to employers.
It has, said Mr Camm, been a busy year – one in which the industry has responded well to uncertainties and to previously unforeseen challenges such as supply constraints, and one in which MTA Queensland has worked hard as the voice of the industry, has reached out to members, developed new projects to assist industry development, and continued to expand its portfolio of training courses and grow student numbers.
“COVID created challenges from the very beginning,” Mr Camm told Motor Trader. “This, though, was an opportunity and we have been very proud to see how the industry has responded by innovating and adapting.
“As COVID proved to be a positive in terms of sales and performance, we have been challenged by the many supply shortages across the industry,” he added. “This has been difficult but has proven that skills mean everything.
“However, labour and skills shortages have held the industry back. Our institute is training at record levels thanks to the work of our training team and we have now released a suite of short courses to help industry continue to skill up in emerging technology such as EVs.”
Vital to MTA Queensland’s ongoing success was, said Mr Camm, the strength of its membership, and the regional meetings and forums undertaken in the past few months – including ones held in Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, and Gladstone, with more to come – were important in cementing that strength.
“We need a strong association,” he said. “As an industry we continue to face many challenges, and MTA Queensland will continue to work diligently on behalf of the industry as new challenges emerge.”
A WORD FROM THE MINISTER
Two years ago, at the 2019 Industry Award Gala, the Queensland Government was represented by Mark Bailey MP, Minister for Transport and Main Roads who, amongst other issues, spoke on the future of autonomous mobility, preparing and training for change, and of creating an attractive market for connected and automated vehicles. While that work no doubt continues, it is surely all but certain that the COVID-19 pandemic consumed much time in government circles and at this year’s Gala, the Minister did speak about Queensland’s response to the crisis.
One of the first briefings he received in cabinet at the beginning of 2020, he said, highlighted “an incredibly dire situation”.
It’s not hard to imagine the pressure and concern that would have developed when considering those early days of the pandemic, but what has been achieved in Queensland since then, the Minister said, was “far beyond what we thought was possible.” With the vaccination program going well, he added that the end was now in sight. We hope he is proved correct.
The Minister also noted that some 40,000 people had moved to Queensland between winter 2020 and winter 2021, and that more were expected to make the move once borders opened fully. With people moving and taking advantage of opportunities to change jobs too, being able to deliver training was vital, and he was, he said, “really heartened at the partnership we have had with Rod and MTA Queensland in terms of training.
We will need to do more of that as we progress forward.”
A final point from Minister Bailey concerned the Olympic and Paralympic Games, to be held in Brisbane and Queensland in 2032. Preparation for such a massive event is, of course, key to their being successful, and the Minister noted the opportunities that preparing for such a gigantic endeavour presented over the next decade.
“It is about the greatest sporting event in the world, but it is also about dealing with a growing state and getting infrastructure that we need – road, rail, all those sorts of things – as well as sporting venues,” he said. “So, we’ve got 10 years of infrastructure building ahead of us and 10 years of prosperity, and that is what the Games are about for us – paralleling sport with growth. That is going to be very good for everybody in the Sunshine State.”
THE AWARDS
Talking of Olympic Games, following Minister Bailey onto the awards stage was a very familiar and very famous face – Steven Bradbury.
Bradbury is a gold medallist from the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games and became perhaps one of the world’s most famous people in the aftermath of his win in the 1000m short-track speed skating final. As you will recall, Bradbury raced strategically at the back of the pack before cruising through to win as all his fellow competitors crashed and fell at the final turn.
The unlikely manner of his victory prompted some at the time to say that he was undeserving of the gold medal, but that preposterous stance ignored the epic amount of time and effort Bradbury put in over many years to be a part of a gold medal race, and also ignored the fact he had plenty of experience and had a very good competition record.
“I trained 5 hours a day, 6 days a week for about 15 years to become an overnight success,” he said.
Bradbury spoke with great humour about his battle to be a success on the ice, about his journey to that gold medal (which included two extremely serious accidents) and the idea that a positive mindset and steady progress to your goals is a successful strategy. It was really a good lesson about life and hard work wrapped in a terrifically fun presentation. Great stuff.
As brilliant and entertaining as Steven Bradbury was, however, the true highlight of the evening was the presentation of the MTA Queensland awards.
Celebrating Industry’s best is the focus of every annual MTA Queensland Industry Awards Gala, and the Community Award, the Innovation Award, the Women In Industry Award, and the Apprentice of the Year Award shine a spotlight on the tremendous work done by individuals and businesses across the spectrum of the automotive industry.
COMMUNITY AWARD
The Community Award finalists were Bill Robertson Toyota of Gladstone, Filby’s Motors of Proserpine and Bowen, and Ireland’s of Cairns.
Bill Robertson Toyota was named the winner with owners James and Erin Roberston accepting the award from David Rice, National Manager at Busy At Work.
The Bill Robertson Toyota dealership has been a fixture in Gladstone for nearly 50 years and its ties to the community run deep, with many organisations, charities, events, and sporting teams receiving support – through sponsorships and, in some cases, in the form of volunteer work – from the business and its team.
“Sponsoring sports motivates people to exercise and improves mental health through connection and purpose. Sponsoring arts helps us tell our stories and builds our identity. Sponsoring social enterprises gives a hand to those who need it,” said Mr Robertson when accepting the award.
“Community involvement makes business sense too. You have to earn the support of your community for it to support your business. And it is a great way to meet and connect with people outside your everyday circle.
“Erin and I both grew up in Gladstone, and our daughters are now doing the same. We are grateful our business enables us to give back to the place we call home.”
INNOVATION AWARD
With the automotive industry currently moving through a period of great disruption and evolution, it comes as no surprise that the Innovation Award was keenly contested. The many nominees were eventually whittled down to Superformance of Capalaba for the company’s creation of a unique, customisable Independent Front Suspension system; the ACE-EV Group of Hervey Bay, which is developing a range of cutting-edge electric vehicles; and Electric Mobility Solutions Australia (EMoS), of Eight Mile Plains, which is also involved in the electric vehicle sector, providing solutions – in the form of a variety of top-quality vehicles – for first- and last-mile transport of goods and people in urban environments.
Electric Mobility Solutions Australia was named the winner with founder Wolfgang Roffman and CEO Harry Proskefalas accepting the award from Matt Gledhill of Capricorn.
EMoS, which has received support from MTA Queensland through its association with the MTAiQ Innovation Hub, has an exciting range of light electric vehicles that includes the CT-Kargo and CT-Kube for deliveries, as well as personal mobility scooters such as the iLark, the iTank and the iTango. In late 2020, the company launched the WYLD Moto chopper-style, e-moped range. All vehicles have full volume ADR and RVCS compliance.
The company also provides access to software platforms which include fleet management solutions that give operators efficient route planning integrations to make it possible to optimise and conduct even smarter deliveries. It is also working on various software app platforms to support hyperlocal delivery and shared solutions for apartment complexes, launching in 2021.
EMoS is, as those details show, working as a leader of the electric mobility revolution.
“The future we have in front of us is rather exciting,” said Mr Roffman on accepting the award. “MTA Queensland has been very much on the forefront, and we appreciate that very much.
“We think the future is now and it can be a very exciting future for everyone. This award is about the future. Thank you very much.”
WOMEN IN INDUSTRY AWARD
The Women In Industry Award was introduced by MTA Queensland in 2019 to acknowledge a female leader achieving success through their commitment to driving change in the automotive or mobility industry, and to not only recognise the tremendous contribution women make to an industry that is perceived to be – and in many ways is – male dominated, but to encourage more women to consider the industry as one offering viable career options.
The finalists for the award were Fionna Blackburne of Southeast Auto Mechanical in Beenleigh, Tania Meli of the Frizelle Sunshine Automotive Group in Southport, and Tracy Randall of Anzac Avenue Wreckers of Toowoomba.
Fionna Blackburne was named the winner and she accepted the award from Gabrielle Clift, the MTA Queensland Apprentice of the Year winner from 2020.
Having trained and practiced as a lawyer, Fionna turned to the automotive industry, purchasing Southeast Auto Mechanical in 2016 after earning her light vehicle qualification. Soon after, she launched a free program – Women On The Move – that offers women the opportunity to learn basic vehicle maintenance skills. It’s a program she also offers to local schools, and Fionna is always searching for ways that can help shape a positive view of the automotive industry, as well as expand efforts to empower and support women in the trades.
“I want to thank MTA Queensland for awarding me the Women in Industry award and also congratulations to the other finalists, Tania and Tracy, who are achieving success in driving positive change in the automotive industry,” said Fionna when accepting the award.
“I am thrilled and humbled to have won this award. I would like to personally thank my team – Damien, Dave, Ash, and Josh – for their commitment to the business and extend a personal thank you to Dave and Damien for helping me to run the women’s essential workshops.”
Delivering the workshops and seeing the confidence grow in the women who took part was, said Fionna, incredibly rewarding. She added that sharing knowledge was key and it had been a goal of hers since taking ownership of her business to share essential knowledge with the community.
“I want to end the perception that women don’t know their way around a car, and I encourage you, as automotive professionals, to educate and share your knowledge with the ladies in your life,” she said.
“Remember, one woman can make a difference, but together we can change the world one tyre at a time.”
GABRIELLE CLIFT: CATCHING UP WITH THE 2020 APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR
Back in mid-2020, the concern regarding COVID-19 outbreaks, and the inevitable restrictions and lockdowns that would follow, was ever present and forced MTA Queensland to cancel that year’s Industry Award Gala event.
However, on October 16, 2020, the Association was able to hold a much smaller, stripped-back event at its main office in Brisbane to celebrate the finalists for the 2020 Apprentice of the Year award and to name that year’s winner.
It was Gabrielle Clift, who was 21 at the time and a third-year light vehicle apprentice with Highfields Mechanical near Toowoomba (and who was, incidentally, the Capricorn 2020 Apprentice of the Year also) who was presented with the honour.
This year, with the Award Gala event back at its elegant home at Brisbane’s Emporium Hotel, Gabrielle was invited to speak to the 200-plus guests about the year she’d had since winning the award.
And it had been a busy one, she said. Highfields Mechanical, and owners Craig and Katherine Baills, had recently opened a new shop, Hi-Mech Auto Solutions, in Toowoomba – a workshop that offers a range of mechanical services but was established with the goal of delivering ADAS calibration and maintenance services.
That means working with cutting-edge technology – the LiDAR, radar and camera systems that allow modern cars to have features such as lane departure alert, autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and the like – and training to use the calibration equipment needed to maintain those systems.
It’s a fantastic experience for Gabrielle, who is expecting to complete her training in the middle of 2022, and she clearly recognised the opportunities as she addressed the Gala attendees.
“I am lucky enough to work between both workshops and see a huge variety of what the automotive industry has to offer. Every day has its own lesson in it – whether it is learning something new or doing a pre-existing job in a more efficient fashion.” she said, before adding that the extra training with companies such as Bosch was a great learning experience.
“Working alongside my MTAQ studies, the information and knowledge I have gained has given me the confidence to work and make informed decision and recommendations,” she said.
“I highly recommend to any apprentice or light vehicle technician to invest in additional training. With technology advancing so quickly in our vehicles it is important that we stay at the forefront of our industry as well as have a firm foundation and understanding of the fundamentals.”
After thanking all those who had supported her on her journey through her apprenticeship, Gabrielle had a few words of support to offer the 2021 awards finalists.
“To each of the nominees for tonight’s awards – congratulations to you all,” she said. “Your hard work and effort have been recognised and you should all be extremely proud of yourselves. It is important that our industry has hard-working apprentices and tradespeople like yourselves to continue well into the future. I am honoured to work alongside you and wish you all the best for the future.”
APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR
The highlight of the evening was the announcement of the MTA Queensland Apprentice of the Year award winner.
12 outstanding apprentices, some who have now qualified as tradespeople, were up for the award, but it was Joshua Frampton – the 26-year-old, fourth-year Light Vehicle apprentice from the Sunshine Coast and the Cricks Auto Group Maroochydore dealership – who took home the honour.
Thanks to COVID-19 restrictions, the presentation of the award was slightly unusual with Leanne Turner – great friend, regular Industry Gala guest, and CEO of Spirit Super – announcing Joshua as the award winner via a digital link-up.
While none of the 12 finalists went home empty-handed – all received a 3.8’’ Drive 56pc ratchet and socket set courtesy of Milwaukee Tool – the prize for being named Apprentice of the Year was outstanding, with Joshua taking home a Milwaukee 218-piece Automotive Starter Toolkit, as well as the opportunity to enjoy two weeks of work experience with the legendary Triple Eight Race Engineering motor racing team.
For Joshua, hearing his name called out as the winner of the award came as a bit of a shock. It was also a shock, he said, to his very proud parents and his manager from Cricks, Andrew Seeley, who joined Joshua at the Gala event. However, there was one person who was not surprised at all.
“I wasn’t expecting it to be honest,” he said. “I was thinking there might be a bit of a chance, but I saw the other finalists and I thought ‘Well, there are a lot of really talented people here’, so to win did catch me off guard and I hadn’t prepared anything to say.
“However, my partner Yvonne had absolute confidence in me the entire time! She kept reminding me, even up to the night, that ‘You’re going to win. That’s why we went out and bought this fancy tailored suit. This is a winner’s suit!’.”
While the title of Apprentice of the Year was the big prize, the items that come along with that title are ones that Joshua is delighted to claim. And that is no surprise, as the Milwaukee Tool 218-piece toolkit and the two-week work experience stint with Triple Eight Race Engineering, are stellar prizes indeed.
“The work experience is something that could potentially be life-changing. You never know where things will lead with opportunities like that,” said Joshua.
“I am really looking forward to that. It’s amazing. It is a dream kind of thing – something that wasn’t even in the realm of possibilities. To get a work experience opportunity with them is just fantastic.
“And I can’t wait to get the toolkit. I have my own toolkit at the moment, of course, but not of Milwaukee quality. It’ll be incredibly useful and last for decades.”
It took a few days for the award announcement to sink in, and there have been plenty of congratulations, handshakes and back slaps for Joshua from mates, family, and colleagues at Cricks.
Now, though, his mind is back on completing his apprenticeship – something he hopes to do by the end of January 2022.
“Don Lerm, my MTA Institute trainer, is going to be back and assess my last two competencies in late January, and then that’ll be me ticked off and qualified,”
he said.
“When that is done, I’ll do some more brand training,” he added. “One of the other brands I work with is Suzuki and I’ve been put through for their technical training, like I did with Renault a few months ago. That is going to be my next step. And then, sometime next year, will be the work experience opportunity with Triple Eight. From there, the sky is the limit!”
Winning the Apprentice of the Year Award is recognition of skill, drive and passion – attributes that mark someone out as having a brilliant career ahead of them. But even with those attributes, an apprenticeship can be tough, and Joshua had some words of advice for those apprentices just starting their automotive journey.
“There have been times when I just wanted to throw in the towel, but once you get through the daily grind and the day-to-day type of jobs – the oil changes, doing tyres, cleaning up the workshop . . . you do start to do some really fun stuff,” he said.
“And if there is one thing I have learned, it is that there are many different opinions and many different ways you can do things in a workshop. Working with older guys, they taught me a lot of the tricks of the trade, and speaking and learning from them has been invaluable. It really pays to listen to the older guys who have been in the industry for decades.
“Just ask as many questions as you can and listen when someone is teaching you something – they’re trying to make you a better mechanic.”
According to Paul Kulpa, General Manager Training and Innovation for the MTA Institute, this year’s Apprentice of the Year finalists were of a very high calibre – so much so that the judges whose job it was to pick a winner had a tough job in doing so.
“I’d like to personally acknowledge all the Apprentice of the Year nominees,” said Mr Kulpa. “The judging panel found this year in particular to be one of the hardest to judge given the quality of nominees. We continue to be blown away by the apprentices and what they have achieved throughout their training journey.
“I’d also like to acknowledge our trainers and employers who put forward their apprentices for this award. The award continues to grow each year with the number of nominees put forward and it’s a testament to the apprentices who go above and beyond their training and display their passion for the automotive industry.
“The MTA Queensland Apprentice of the Year Award is an incredibly prestigious title and this year’s winner is worthy of this title. Congratulations Joshua on winning this award.”
RAISING FUNDS
Another important part of the Industry Awards Gala is the fundraising auction on behalf of MTA Queensland’s official charity partner, Youngcare.
Youngcare is a not-for-profit organisation spearheading change to create a future where every young person with high care needs has the choice and dignity to live the lives we all deserve. MTA Queensland is proud to offer its support.
Some generous souls took part in the auction this year, with the competitive and lively bidding raising more than $19,000.
There were, as always, some quality items on which the participants could bid, including body panels and a wheel rim from a Triple Eight Race Engineering supercar, all signed by superstar drivers Jamie Whincup and Shane van Gisbergen.
Perhaps with the knowledge that 2021 is the final year for Whincup as a full-time Supercars competition driver, those four pieces of racing memorabilia went for a collective $10,100. Outstanding!
Other items up for auction included a bottle of 2015 Penfolds RWT BIN 798 Shiraz, a Brisbane Broncos football signed by the team from the 2004 season (which included such icons as Darren Lockyer and Gorden Tallis), a signed 2021 Broncos team jersey, an Emporium Hotel Getaway package, and a Mooloolaba holiday package.
It was a blockbuster of an auction and MTA Queensland extends its thanks for the generous donation of items by Triple Eight Race Engineering, Mark Dodge Motoring, the Emporium Hotel, Peter and Cathy Hyde, and a private donor.
The 2021 MTA Queensland Industry Awards Gala was tremendous evening, and the Association thanks its guests, friends, and sponsors for making it so memorable. It was a welcome return after the disruptions of 2020 and was a truly positive experience as the industry looks beyond the impact of COVID and embraces its continuing evolution.
“The MTA Queensland Industry Awards provides the perfect opportunity to acknowledge the individuals and businesses who are making exceptional contributions to the betterment of the industry through community and innovation leadership, and excellence in their discipline,” said Mr Camm, MTA Queensland Group CEO. “We are privileged to be able to celebrate them in person at such a spectacular event.
“As an industry, we have faced, and indeed continue to face, shortages in both skilled labour and parts and supplies, and challenges with the pace of new technological advancements. However, we continue to face these head-on, led by individuals like those recognised in the 2021 Industry Awards. I sincerely congratulate them all and look forward to following them as they continue to lead the industry into the future.”
See you next year!
Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (December 2021/January 2022)
16 December 2021