Palmyra brothers win plumbing medals in workskills

28/11/00
Palmyra brothers win plumbing medals in workskills.
Palmyra brothers Luke and Ken Weaver finished first and second in the Plumbing Category of the Perth Regional WorkSkill 2000 Competitions.
Luke (22) won a gold medal for first and Ken (20) silver for second.
As a gold medallist, Luke will compete with other winners from all over Australia at the national Workskill Competitions in Adelaide in March for the opportunity to represent Australia at the International WorkSkill Competitions in Seoul Korea.
The brothers received their medals, along with more than 30 category winners, from Employment and Training Minister Mike Board at a special presentation breakfast at Challenge Stadium.
Mr Board said he was impressed with the high standard demonstrated by all the WorkSkill competitors, especially those who had won gold, silver or bronze medals.
"WorkSkill's mission is to challenge young people, their teachers, trainers and employers to achieve world-class standards in all industries and to promote the status of vocational education and training across Australia," he said.
"Since WorkSkill was established in 1982, 40,000 young Australians have had the opportunity to benchmark their skills against demanding standards. WorkSkill competitions are now conducted in 27 different regions around Australia."
There is no chance of a dripping tap going unrepaired in the Weaver household. As well as Luke and Ken, a younger brother is also an apprentice plumber.
"I guess we never do things by halves," said their father Paul, a retired historian.
"I have nine children and in their spare time the boys restore mini minor motors cars. At the moment there are six of them at our home."
Mr Weaver said he was delighted that his sons had become plumbers, as it was of the most important trades in a modern society.
He said that a good quality plumbing system was vital to any city and Perth has one of the world's best.
"Plumbers are never short of work and I was very happy when they decided to enter the trade," he said.
Media contacts:
Minister's office - Tamatha Smith, 9222 9211
Department of Training and Employment - Peter Cogan, 9235 6021