Moruya appren ce carpenter to

TAFE NSW Moruya carpentry student, Jack Hirst, will represent NSW against some of Australia’s best young carpenters at the WorldSkills Na onal compe on in Melbourne this month.

The WorldSkills Australia 2023 Na onal Championships will see over 500 voca onal students converge in Melbourne over three days with their eye on a coveted gold medal. Batemans Bay’s Jack Hirst is the only TAFE NSW student from the South Coast and Far South Coast to be compe ng in the na onal event.

WorldSkills hosts regional, na onal, and interna onal compe ons which celebrate excellence and showcase voca onal educa onal and training. Winners from the Na onals are in the running to be selected for the Australian Skillaroos team to compete against more than 75 countries. The interna onal championships have run every two years since 1950.

Mr Hirst said he was keen to show what he’s got a er months of mentorship by his TAFE NSW mentor Anthony Hybine , as he prepares for the most grueling compe on of his life.

“It’s pre y crazy to be represen ng the state in the Na onals,” Mr Hirst said. I entered the regional compe on because I thought my boss would be happy with me sharpening my skills. I didn’t expect to win and go on to the na onal compe on,” he said.

Mr Hirst works for Ralston Building, based in Batemans Bay, and said the company had been suppor ng him along the way.

As part of the compe on, Jack will be given plans for a project he must build. The first me he will see the plans will be on the day. To score well, his accuracy must be within a tolerance of one millimetre, and he will be working against the clock to interpret the plans and build the object as accurately as possible.

“This compe on is great for appren ces who really want to fine tune their hands-on skills. I’m a lot more par cular about my work now,” he said.

TAFE NSW Execu ve Director Educa on and Skills, Kerryn Meredith-So ris, said Mr Hirst had earned the right to compete to represent Australia a er winning in his category at the State WorldSkills compe on.

“The ul mate goal for Mr Hirst will be to earn a place on the Skillaroos team represen ng Australia at the WorldSkills Compe on in France next year."

“WorldSkills compe ons provide TAFE NSW students with amazing, and poten ally life-changing, learning opportuni es. It creates an exci ng, interac ve, and engaging environment for par cipants. They will learn important life-long skills to help them succeed individually and help deliver a highly skilled workforce.”

The WorldSkills Australia 2023 Na onal Championships will be held at the Melbourne Conven on and Exhibi on Centre from 17-19 August.

River of Art fes val organisers are pumped, this Saturday’s free Lanterns From Waste workshop at Art Central is shaping up to be a fun half day out and everyone is invited!

The goal of the day is create a sea of lanterns for Luminous: Celebra ng Place at Moruya Showground on September 23. There are cash prizes for youth aged 16 to 25 too, along with free entry to see the final installa on at Luminous!

All materials and lunch are provided – winning! We have intercepted some fun materials which were on their way to becoming landfill, including colourful tex les, wire and plas cs. You can learn the art of lantern making from fabulous teachers, with folks from Repurposing for Resilience, Crea ve Spirit and Art Central who will also add the light to your lantern. Ar sts who are having Open Studios and Exhibi ons will also be dropping by to catch up ahead of the River of Art fes val in September.

That’s not all, we’ll also be making a big octopus lantern using a fabric mache technique!

The workshop is open to all ages, please register by Friday, August 11. Workshop hours are 11am to 3pm. Part of the Lanterns from Waste Youth ART Comp, open to folks aged 16 to 26 and their collaborators. Entries close on September 9. There is a whopping $650 for first place, $450 for second and $250 for People’s Choice.