PLUMBING GROUP
NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2020
NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2020 From The Directors................................................................................ 1 Evolution of C&D ................................................................................... 2 WHSEQ Managers Report ................................................................ 3 Victoria........................................................................................................ 5 State Hockey Centre......................................................... 5 Kilmore Town Centre ....................................................... 6 University of Melbourne - Student Precinct ........ 6 New South Wales .................................................................................. 7 Dubbo Hospital Stage 4 ................................................ 7 Hamilton Apartments .................................................... 8 Wagga Base Hospital ...................................................... 8 Estella Primary School .................................................... 8 Queensland. ............................................................................................ 9 Inner City State Secondary Collge ........................ 10 433 Queen Street .......................................................... 10 Western Australia ................................................................................. 11 Wellington Street Sudent Accomdation ............... 11 The Plumbing & Gas Guys ............................................................... 12 New Zealand .......................................................................................... 13 Pacifica Luxury Apartments ....................................... 13 Project Plumbing & Maintenance ................................................ 14 Parliament House ............................................................ 15 North Carlton Community Gardens ....................... 15 NUDJ Plumbing Services ................................................................. 16 RAAF Base Derby ........................................................... 16 Cooke & Dowsett Rosetta Plumbing........................................... 17 Central Plumbing & Hardware ...................................................... 18 Socials ..................................................................................................... 20
Directors – Scott & Chadd
FROM THE DIRECTORS First and foremost, I hope you and your family are all travelling well! Like me you are probably well and truly over this pandemic but if I can do one thing, I wish to reassure our employees, clients and industry associates that we are committed to working together towards the new “COVID Norm” and are very grateful for the level of understanding and support that you have all shown during these trying times. The last month has seen a mix of emotions as we ride the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic, primarily in Victoria but also in New Zealand. Other States have also teetered on the edge of renewed restrictions at times, proving just how fragile the “control” of this virus continues to be. Well into Sunday night on the weekend leading up to Stage 4 restrictions in Victoria I was personally involved in lobbying our State Government that construction should remain open. I cannot tell you how gutted I was when the announcement was made the following day that construction could only continue to operate at 25% capacity. Most frustrating to me were the mixed messages and constantly moving targets where from one minute to the next I was unable to provide neither you nor our customers with a clear direction on your future and the delivery of our projects. Even now – with the extension of Stage 4 restrictions until 27th September we live from one day to the next not knowing how Builders will plan their 25% resourcing for the week ahead. I know that this has taken its toll on all of you and I congratulate you for your perseverance in these challenging times. One of the things that Chadd and I have always prided ourselves on is doing whatever it takes to win a job when we really needed to – often at little or no profit – just to keep our best people in work. And yet for the first time in the 30-year history of our Company we have had to let some of our long serving talent go on mass. We would personally like to thank Rod Smith & Peter Mav for their handling of the staff movements under trying circumstances.
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A significant number of our office staff are working from home. Social distancing. Wearing face masks in public. These are all things that seven months ago I could never have dreamt possible – and yet they’re all things that have now become a way of life – at least for the foreseeable future. There is much talk of a vaccine on the horizon, and above all else, I believe that every one of our people have managed to evade infection from this deadly disease. Furthermore, we are hearing the early whisperings of future opportunities in the form of pent up demand and government stimulus packages. So, I urge you all to stay the course and do the right thing by continuing to follow health department guidelines. I have no doubt that we all look forward to the day where we can look back on this year and boast that “We survived 2020!”. We have been using the 1Breadcrumb Contract Tracing App for over a month now and have had great feedback from both offices and site. Thanks to all for embracing this technology which allows us to conduct our business in line with government regulations. If you have any questions regarding 1Breadcrumb please contact our WHSEQ Manager Kevin McKeown. September 10th marked national R U OK Day and it clear that now more than ever we should be touching base with our family, friends and work colleagues. Please don’t hesitate in reaching out to me or a member of our COVID-19 Response Team who will be more than willing to chat and recommend support services if required. Whilst the industry has obviously endured some hard knocks, I am pleased with the progress that is being made by Master Plumbers Australia and New Zealand (MPANZ) who have continuously lobbied for greater consistency and uniformity for plumbing occupations across Australia. The required national constancies impact training, licensing, regulations, insurance and plumbing design standards. I continue to be involved in these discussions and will keep you posted with any advancements but in the mean time I urge you to utilize Master Plumbers for advice, information, tools and support. www.plumber.com.au
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Our National Enterprise agreements (EBA) renewals have progressed well, with agreement, sign off & Code Compliance achieved in Queensland. Victoria, we have agreement with the Plumbers Union and are just tidying up some wording on some clauses which is being submitted to the Fair work commission for code compliance approval, which just leaves our WA agreement to finalise, we have been in discussions and will have a draft completed to present in the near future. CDPG 20/21 Professional Indemnity Insurance renewal process started back in February 2020, within a difficult market, which is at the best of times hard to predict because it covers so many diverse professions with distinctive risks to be considered. Broadley Pre-COVID the Construction industry saw steep premium rate rises. Certain construction sectors with more problematic claims experiences such as Design & Construct are becoming much harder to renew, with an estimated 50% drop in available Insurance underwriter`s which drives premium costs up substantially. It is a credit to CDPG Senior Management that we were able to satisfy our Insurers requirements. We are excited to commence construction on the redevelopment of the Head Office in Keilor Park which will include an increase in floor space, work station layout changes, improved storage and data infrastructure. Thanks to those who have provided input into the design and I appreciate your patience over the coming months.
Whilst we have had a number of projects formally been put into delay until March 2021. We have been successful in securing new projects of various scales throughout the country including: • Geelong Clinic Stage 2 MHF – Built – VIC • Al Taqwa College Sports Facility – Islamic Schools of Victoria – VIC • Metro Tunnel Carpark – SJ Higgins – VIC • Cairns Convention Centre – Lend Lease – QLD • Newman Hospital – ADCO Constructions – WA • RAAF Curtin DIAC – NUDJ/ Kullarri – WA • Goodlife Whitford’s Shopping Centre – Scentre Group – WA • Hames Sharley Office Fit out – ADCO Constructions – WA • Capital Square Tower 2 – D&C Built – WA • Estella Public School – Hansen Yuncken – NSW • Southern Remand Centre EW – Hansen Yuncken – TAS • Brighton Regional Sports – Fairbrothers – TAS • Southern Support School – Vos Constructions - TAS Our Estimators continue to work tirelessly to secure a healthy pipeline of future projects and I look forward to announcing some more project wins prior to Christmas. Looking forward to the easing of restrictions so we can visit our teams in other states and New Zealand as soon as we can. Stay Safe All Scott & Chadd Directors
The new Training Room also situated at Head Office is being constantly utilized. The large size of the room has assisted us in adhering to COVID self-distancing among other safe Practices. Two groups were involved in remote Intermediate Excel courses last week and we will be conducting remote SharePoint training in the near future.
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PLUMBING GROUP
THE EVOLUTION OF THE GROUP From humble beginnings back in 1992, Cooke & Dowsett has well and truly lived up to its commitment to be The Future and Strength in Plumbing. The Group now operates in the construction space from 7 separate locations across Australia and New Zealand, has 2 maintenance arms operating in Victoria and Western Australia, and Central Plumbing & Hardware services the country from its base in Victoria. The Group also holds a portfolio of property and other investment interests. The Group’s success can be attributed to hard work, but more than that it’s the partnerships it has formed along the journey that make the difference. We are extremely proud of the relationships we’ve made with our customers, our joint business owners, but most importantly our staff. Earlier this year we recognised that the divergence of brands amongst our businesses was beginning to get confusing so we launched the “Cooke & Dowsett Plumbing Group” as a brand to showcase what we offer to the market. Distractions from Coronavirus meant that we didn’t launch the brand with any great fanfare but instead you’ll see a gradual convergence of logo’s and marketing material over coming months. Each entity will however continue to trade in its own right and there is no change to the way in which we operate.
1992 2006 2008 2009
2011
2014
To the right, is a time line of our successful growth over the past 28 years. Who knows what the future may hold!
2017
2018
2020
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• Scott Dowsett Plumbing commenced trading in hydraulic construction
• Central Plumbing incorporated retailing plumbing & hardware to the construction industry
• Chadd Cooke joined the business and restructured under Cooke & Dowsett
• Formed partnership to support indigenous youth in Broome through NUDJ Plumbing
• Majority share aquired from CIC Plumbing and commenced trading as Cooke & Dowsett Albury • Branch operations commenced in WA
• Cooke & Dowsett QLD branch commenced trading
• Expanded operations into New Zealand
• Joined forces with Rosetta Plumbing to form Cooke & Dowsett Rosetta Plumbing operating in Tasmania • Launched Project Plumbing & Maintenance to service the maintenance demands of our construction customers
• Aquired 50% share in The Plumbing And Gas Guys to expand maintenance services into WA • Launched The Cooke & Dowsett Plumbing Group brand
Facemasks and 1Breadcrumb QR Codes are being issued to Victorian worksites.
WHSEQ Managers Report What a year so far, Bush Fires, Earth Quakes, Floods and now Covid -19. Many parts of Australia have varying degrees of lockdown and restriction due to Covid-19. Victoria & NSW have seen the most significant changes in the way we operate over the past 6-8 weeks. Metropolitan Melbourne entered stage 3 which included the compulsory wearing of mask and then a couple of days later stage 4 restrictions, whilst the rest of the state entered stage 3 restrictions and the NSW government have tightened border restrictions in regards to Victorians crossing the border. The 1breadcrumb app has been rolled out throughout Victoria and New Zealand, this new technology will see us work safer, smarter and faster whilst helping us to comply with both the builders and regulatory requirements e.g. contact mapping. Workplace Safety and Quality is and always will be CDPG number 1 priority, and this new tool will help ensure that all of us including visitors go home safely at the end of each day. The CDPG continually remains Covid-19 free, however we still need to remain diligent, wear a mask, maintain social distance, undertake good personal hygiene, if you have any signs or symptoms stay home and seek medical advice and now more than ever ask your mate if they are OK.
Congratulations! Congratulations to one of our veteran plumbers Corey Small who received a safety award from Kane Constructions for his continued positive safety contribution on the Melbourne Uni New Student Accommodation Project. Keep up the good work Corey!
Kevin McKeown WHSEQ Manager
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VICTORIA
Victorian State Netball Hockey Centre
Undoubtably the impact of Covid-19 and the government’s decision to reduce the population of Victorian construction sites to 25% has been unsettling and difficult to digest. Once the government announced the reduction, we started negotiations with relevant builders who decide how many employees from each company are required on site.
Melbourne CBD projects are continuing slowly with limited capacities. Coordination of resources and site requirements are constantly being discussed with Senior Management – Peter Mavropoulos is coordinating resources on all of the Victorian sites which has been challenging and confronting of late which is understandable.
Fortunately, we have eight projects that remain unaffected, the majority of these are not Melbourne CBD projects, unfortunately another five projects have incurred a reduction in employee numbers with two projects in particular incurring the biggest reductions. We have also been asked not to attend two other sites for a 6-week period or at least while Stage 4 restriction apply. Whilst difficult to predict we are anticipating a return to some sort of normality in the not so distant future and look forward to the return of all employees directly affected.
Staff at the Victorian office are being kept busy with everyone focused on the job at hand whilst managing and assisting with business improvements and innovation ideas – there is no limit. All of the Vic employees who are navigating through these restrictions have endured a huge task to stay focussed, keep positive, practice social distancing all whilst wearing the **** face masks. We have been alternating attendance to the office, maintaining social distancing, limiting meetings, logging on and off to 1breadcrumb (contact mapping) and undertaking improved hygiene measures. A big thank you to everyone for your continued efforts whilst staying positive, keep your heads up and remember to always ask a fellow work mate how they are going.
Brad McNamara and Todd Hopkins are pressing forward with the inground sewer and stormwater drainage works at Kilmore Town Centre. They are presently preparing for the installation of below ground water storage tanks. Ballarat Quest and Good Shed projects are keeping Tom O’Loughlin and Bangers (Scott Thompson) busy! If the rain is not bad enough these two projects experienced a day of snow which would have made conditions on site even more difficult. Geelong projects are still progressing well Dane Peterson and Jake Young are busy managing multiple sites which are all at different stages.
Rodney Smith Operations Manager
STATE NETBALL HOCKEY CENTRE Works are progressing well at the State Netball Hockey Centre (SNHC) located in Parkville. Stage 1 has seen the completion of 6 new netball courts in two new halls along with new and refurbished amenities. Works on the new hockey field and main entry with further amenities including High Performance Centre are now underway. This state significant Kane Constructions project is on track for completion in early 2021.
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State Netball Hockey Centre
Kilmore Town Centre rain, snow and shine!
KILMORE TOWN CENTRE Todd Hopkins and the guys out at Kilmore thought they had missed the arctic blast in early August having nothing but blue sky and perfect weather, they were proven wrong when the temperature dipped to zero degrees and snow started falling quite heavily – followed shortly after by blue sky again. Stay warm guys!
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE – NEW STUDENT PRECINCT In May 2020, Cooke & Dowsett was awarded the Design & Construct hydraulic contract to deliver the University of Melbourne New Student Precinct (NSP) project. The project will be delivered over nine separable portions including various new buildings and the refurbishment of existing student facilities. Dave Benton and his team are working on the new student precinct which will make a significant contribution to the transformation of the on-campus student experience at Parkville by delivering a worldclass student hub for the whole campus community. The project includes six buildings and will deliver 37,050m2 of new or refurbished internal and external building and landscape space. Practical completion is expected in the second quarter of 2020.
The University of Melbourne – New Student Precinct 6
NEW SOUTH WALES
Dubbo Hospital Stage 4 We are currently in unknown territory as are many in this current Covid-19 climate, especially being located here on the border. Ever changing cross border restrictions and regulations have been very difficult to manage as we have staff living and working on both sides of the NSW/ VIC border. Some staff at present are unable to work and management is working closely with a local sitting State Members of Parliament to obtain exemptions under the critical services category. On a positive note, there have been minimal cases throughout our area and our staff have shown a united understanding of the difficulties we all are facing. Thanks Team.
DUBBO HOSPITAL STAGE 4 Dubbo Hospital Stage 4 project has commenced with resources ramping up dramatically over the next 6 weeks. Site Manager Nathan O’Neil along with his team are doing a great job under difficult conditions and tight program.
Long term employee Shannon McDonald has departed us in Albury and has relocated to Southern QLD commencing work with the C&D team in the Brisbane area. I’d like to thank Shannon for his great work over the years, we wish Shannon and his family all the best in their new endeavours. All Current projects are progressing well, which is a credit to our project managers and their associated teams. These projects include; - Wagga Wagga Hospital stage 3 - CPB - Dubbo Hospital Stage 4 – Hansen Yuncken - Lavington Sports Ground Redevelopment Hansen Yuncken - Hamilton Apartments - Barker Group - Tallangatta DELWP - Premier Building In July we commenced a new project in Wagga Wagga, the Estella Primary School with long term client Hansen Yuncken. This is a very short program, to enable this school to open for students in February 2021. Site Manager Mark Adams is under the guidance of Craig Proctor and is smashing it as usual! John Colley in Estimating has been very busy to date there are a number of projects we believe have potential in coming our way throughout regional NSW, VIC and locally here Albury, stay tuned. Warm regards and stay safe, Ian Avage Director CDA
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Ian working hard to keep the office Covid-19 Free!
Our site team practicing social distancing L-R – Rhys Palmer, Chris Davis, Jye Shields (Site Manager), Jack Avage, James O’Brien, Liam Chaplin.
HAMILTON APARTMENTS IN ALBURY
ESTELLA PRIMARY SCHOOL Estella Primary School is a fast-moving project which commenced in early July and is expected to be completed in early December. Credit to the local Wagga guys on this project along with some super committed subbies Darcy & Kieran! We are in a good position with in ground works to be completed by the end of August. We are also confident we will meet our clients (Hansen Yuncken’s) program.
WAGGA BASE HOSPITAL Wagga Base Hospital is going along swimmingly with credit to the following site team – Patrick O’Brien, Tim Carberry (Site Manager) Josh Ferella, Billy Murphy and Billy Korgitta. This project is running hot and is in full swing on every level with rough in, hot water plant (pictured) and fire service nearing completion with up and coming fit off on all levels, the anticipated completion date is in December which will be a challenge but we are taking that challenge head on!
Estella Primary School Wagga Site Crew and Site Works
Hot Water System Wagga Base Hospital 7
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QUEENSLAND
443 Queen Street Brisbane
Hello to the C&D family and WOW !!- have we ever seen a more seismic shift to the Australian way of life and to the building construction industry as we have in the last 3 months?!! While in Queensland, we have escaped relatively unscathed from the effects of COVID 19 (for now), our thoughts go out to our southern counterparts in Victoria and NSW, who are going through some extremely challenging times. With approximately 30% of our Queensland workforce originally hailing from Victoria and still having immediately family down there, we can only imagine the tough times you are going through and would just like to let you know, that all of your hard work down at headquarters to navigate the company through this extremely tumultuous period is well recognised by our crew up here On a construction front, since our last newsletter, I can report that Travis Richards and his team have successfully handed over the Kmart refurb at Carindale shopping centre for the Scentre group and have completed the early works/scope package at the New Performing Arts Venue (NPAV) for Lend Lease. The NPAV job is a $165 million, state of the art theatre on the Brisbane river, in which C&D have been shortlisted to tender for. With the relationships forged already with the Lend Lease team and excellent feedback on the work completed for the early works package, we will be leaving no stone unturned in trying to secure this blue-chip project. Travis has also been busy starting up the new 10 storey luxury apartment block on the Eagle Farm Racecourse, to be called Tulloch House. This is the second apartment block to be built around the racecourse by the MIRVAC group. Zane Eyers is SM on the job and as we go to publication, the first slab to this building is about to be poured. With a slightly later start time than usual to accommodate for the completion of racehorse trackwork, and free entry on Saturday race days, I have never had so many calls from our guys about wanting to get on this job!!- a few closet punters, I think!
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Finally, I would like to welcome Sasha Lennon to our team. Sasha takes over the role of project administrator from Danielle who is thoroughly enjoying motherhood. Sasha brings plenty of upside to our team through some of her previous roles and similar positions in various mining and construction industries. She is a fast learner who relishes in subcontractor agreements and progress claims! From the entire C&D Team, Sasha we sincerely welcome you on board. We would also like to welcome our new first year apprentice to the C&D team - Excell Placid. Excell made such an impression with all the team while completing his school placed 80-hour work experience training at 443 Queen St, that it became a no brainer to offer him an apprenticeship when the opportunity presented. We are looking forward to watching Excell develop over the next few years - all the best mate. Speaking of apprentices, our 4th year apprentice Jordan Walford is off to tie the knot this week with the lovely Shelby- from what I’ve heard mate- batting way above your average!! Congrats guys!!
Justin Pitts QLD State Manager
Inner City State Secondary College by day and night
INNER CITY STATE SECONDARY COLLEGE Inner City State Secondary College in Fortitude Valley has reached practical completion. C&D was proud to partner once again with Hutchinson’s to deliver this innovative project. The school is a flagship, future focused educational facility which was constructed to maximise available space on the compact inner-city footprint, the vertical design provides a range of flexible learning environments.
443 QUEEN STREET 443 Queen Street is a hive of activity with typical floor construction in current full swing since May. Jump Form cycling durations are exceeding site expectations. The C&D construction team have been busy installing our first fix high level drainage, water and gas services with an anticipation of a quick start to the rough in and fit off portion of the project once the site is ready. Andrew Matray and our site team have been working well, meeting the Builders expectations in a very fluid project with implementation of research and development ideas for increasing productivity, meeting controls in the New Covid-19 era and implementing site based technologies including the use of an APP based platform for PreStarts and project document distribution for employees to assist in reducing personnel interaction and the introduction of company based site survey equipment. We are looking forward to the challenges over the next 12months to close this project out.
Cairns Convention Centre - New employees – Cairns locals Ben Dudgeon left and Tom McCorkell right
443 Queen Street Brisbane river and road views
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WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Wellington Street Student Accommodation Project is progressing well Cooke and Dowsett WA has had a positive quarter - we have had great success securing new projects and have also welcomed new staff to the business. We are proud to have been selected as the Hydraulic Contractor for the Newman Hospital Project and look forward to working with Adco to deliver this project. The Newman Hospital is anticipated to cost $53.7 million and includes 12 inpatient beds, six emergency bays, two dental chairs, six general practitioners consult spaces and the capability to connect patients with specialists across WA using Telehealth and video conferencing technology. We have also been successful securing the Carnarvon Aged Car facility and are teaming up with Crothers Constructions to deliver this project. In line with the McGowan Government's ongoing commitment to healthcare closer to home, the $16.5 million project is set to see the construction of a contemporary facility with dedicated aged and palliative care beds. Set to be co-located at the newly redeveloped Carnarvon Health Campus, the project will bring together key health services under one roof, creating a modern, purpose-built healthcare hub that supports the integration of primary care. Exciting times in WA – in response to the above tenders being secured we have had to increase our staffing to be able to deliver these projects. I would like to welcome Cassandra Kirk and Harry Quayle to the Cooke & Dowsett WA administration team to help out with these projects.
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Wellington Street Student Accommodation Project
Well done to Mike Murphy, Site Manager on the Woolworths – Inglewood Project who was recently awarded Broad Constructions monthly Occupational Health, Safety and Quality Award for the team’s commitment to quality and safety on the project. Keep up the good work crew!
Jeff Hegarty WA State Manager
Mike Murphy
THE PLUMBING AND GAS GUYS
The Plumbing and Gas Guys - Number One Choice of Gas Fitters and Plumbers in Perth! The Plumbing and Gas Guys have recently employed the services of an Operations Manager. We would like to welcome Tim Beadle to the business in this role and we look forward to the expertise that Tim brings to the business. The maintenance side of the business is ticking along with the usual work load through these cooler winter months, and looking forward to a busy period as we move into spring. LEARN MORE OF OUR SERVICES AND GET IN TOUCH WITH OUR TEAM OF EXPERTS TODAY! Take advantage of our free quotes over the phone and No Call Out Fee on all jobs!
Call 24/7: 1800 087 244 contact@theplumbingandgasguys.com.au What you need is state of the art plumbing services and exemplary staff. And that’s exactly what we guarantee. We service all of Perth from the heart of CBD to the suburbs and beyond. From the simple leaking taps, to installation of hot water systems, to emergency plumbing jobs. All of Perth is covered by the Plumbing and Gas Guys.
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NEW ZEALAND
The Pacifica view completing the roof pour
New Zealand’s biggest Bunnings store - Bunnings Westage was recently completed and the official opening held in early August. Martin Guptill (average Kiwi Black caps batsman) was the guest speaker and we enjoyed cricket in the isles before speeches. Below is a photo of Wiki Clark and myself, we employed Wiki as my operator when we started the in-grounds and he has been on the project ever since, switching roles over to sub-contracting to H.Troon after the Covid-19 lockdown saw the H.Troon team unable to come back to NZ. Gary & Wiki
Street view of the Pacifica
The Pacifica Apartments Project has recently topped out and the guys needed their jumpers as they posed for a photo on Level 57 unfortunately not a very nice day! Our client Icon also threw a roof shout party in late July which was great fun! We are now working hard to complete the project prior to Christmas. We have the hot water plant due to be installed on the roof this month and currently have 17 levels fitted out.
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Gary Moore Project Manager
The Pacifica Crew on L57
PROJECT PLUMBING & MAINTENANCE
North Carlton Community Gardens
What challenging times over the last few month for Project Plumbing & Maintenance (PPM) and all our staff and subcontractors. Even the Stage 4 restrictions are affecting us with some of the construction jobs being put on hold. We are still busy servicing some of the construction projects which are classed as major government and nationwide maintenance. As a first, PPM carried out the prefabrication of the Caroma in-wall frames which are used for multiple purposes like in-wall cisterns, wall basins and Thermostatic Mixing Valve installations. Our large residential project in Woodend slowed down but is still going ahead. Stephen Dale is working as the leading hand together with Ethan Minns. We received a very positive statement from the builder regarding Stephen and Ethan that they deliver outstanding quality in the given time frames. The office fit-out we carry out for Harris HMC at Collins Street in Melbourne called Cyber CX continued working under Stage 4 restrictions but is reduced to 25% staff on site. Handover of the project will be early September 2020. In June 2020 we started a new project for Harris HMC Stage 3 of the Parliament House of Victoria. This project is a combination of refurbishment and extension. We completed the first part of this challenging project with the help of Cooke & Dowsett staff in particular Peter Blackwood. This first part included gas main diversion, water main diversion and fire service diversion, storm water and sewer. Most of the works was carried out by NDD and manual labour. Our Site Manager on this Project is Sam Failla. Sam joined the team at PPM back in June 2020 and brings over 20 years of plumbing experience in the commercial construction to our business. The project will continue for PPM in January with part two.
A couple of weeks ago we secured a contract with Arete to carry out the hydraulic services (office fit-out) at the Victoria Police building at Spencer Street in Melbourne. We appointed Sam Failla as a Site Manager for this project which will be completed within the next 2 months. PPM just received the letter of intent for the ANSTRO extension in Clayton. The same construction team from Arete which we successfully delivered the CSIRO project with, engaged PPM for the hydraulic services. Carl Misson is our Site Manager and will lead a small team of plumbers to deliver this project. James Climas is well established in his role as Project Manager. With additional training over the last months he aligned the PPM systems and procedures to the ones from Cooke & Dowsett. James is in charge of all PPM construction projects and manages the budgets and labour requirements. No job is too small or too big for him. In the office Courtney Barnes settled into a fast-paced environment and is now supporting James as a Contract Administrator. On top of this role she is also looking after the Caroma warranty service in Victoria, managing our interstate subcontractors and entering supplier invoices into our accounting system. Due to Covid-19 and Stage 4 restrictions here in Melbourne some of our projects are on hold. DHHS Apartments in Richmond, DHHS Carpark upgrade in Flemington, Villa upgrade in Sunshine West, St Columbas College extension in Essendon. We are promised that all projects will go ahead once the restrictions are lifted. PPM secured new Maintenance Contracts for the Barclays Bank in Sydney, Kingswim facilities in NSW and QLD and YMCA facilities in all states and territories. We are currently in the tender process and discussions with more exiting maintenance projects in Victoria and interstate. Peter Herzog General Manager 14
Industry Lane Project – Paul Cameron and Carl Misson
John Moloney Working at the Vic Police Building Spencer Street
PARLIAMENT HOUSE – EAST WING RENOVATION PROJECT Project Plumbing & Maintenance (PPM) are busy working on the Victorian Heritage listed Parliament House in Melbourne. The East Wing renovation project includes the upgrading of ageing sewer systems, stormwater drainage, improvements to hot and cold water and the installation of new fixtures. The project has presented some challenges - restricted access, night works, heritage building elements, contaminated soil and the coordination of all structures and existing services. There is also a resident skeleton that appears from time to time to help the boys out. All the guys involved have done an incredible job which has been acknowledged by client @Harris HMC Interiors.
Kabir Sidhu from Harris HMC Interiors – “Great work guys! James please pass on our thanks to Sam and the rest of the team, you’ve done a great job.” C Baines from Kane Constructions – “all services reinstated – please be aware that everything went as planned and all services are back up and running. Congrats must go out to Project Plumbing. Great long days work by the boys. Well Done”
PPM Project Manager James Climas and a friend
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Parliament House Works
NORTH CARLTON COMMUNITY GARDENS PPM together with Cooke & Dowsett recently donated some man power to improve the North Carlton Community Gardens Project in Princess Hill. Works included irrigation and connection to the water system. This fantastic community project enables all ability access an education area for classes and has been designed in consultation with the community.
NUDJ PLUMBING SERVICES
Blake Bin Swani water treatment plant pipework
2020 has seen its challenges with the Covid-19 situation. NUDJ has been lucky enough to continue works as normal. The Broome Senior High School extension was recently completed which has been such a great opportunity for our guys to further experience commercial sector plumbing and was such a fantastic project to be involved in. We had such a large presence of our young indigenous plumbers working on site which has assisted with their development and experience in the plumbing industry.
The boys have now completed the RAAF Base Stage 2 Fuel Installation Project, this has seen the boys install new fire tanks and pumps with fire ring main protection around the fuel bunker. NUDJ continues to do outstanding work with the RAAF Base Projects which has led to the boys securing Stage 3 and 4 of the Water Infrastructure Project within the Derby RAAF Base. Special thanks to David Stimpson, Dane Sara, Dave Lombardi & the Estimating Team for all their hard work. We continue to benefit from their efforts winning work, ensuring a job is well done or just passing their knowledge and experience onto us. The team at NUDJ have benefited greatly. Here at NUDJ we continue with a steady work flow and are embracing the new experiences and challenges that have come with 2020 so far.
Ethan Corpus Manager
First pour of concrete chute
REMOTE WORKS UNDERWAY Works are progressing well on a particular remote project in Derby WA. This project is a joint venture project we are completing with Kullarri Builders, Cooke & Dowsett and Nudj Plumbing Services. Part of our contract scope was to clean out 4 x 1800mm 1350mm dia concrete pipes - approximately 310mm long. The Swale crossing pipes are installed underneath a remote plane runway. Due to the special conditions of the work small remote-controlled loaders were used to remove the silt that has been built up in these pipes over the years. The loaders were transported from Bundaberg Rockhamption in QLD to Derby in WA, a staggering 3868km across two state boarders including quarantine requirements in the middle of Covid-19 boarder restrictions! Astounding planning, research and co-ordination by Jarrad Sara, Dave Stimpson and the whole Cooke & Dowsett, Nudj Plumbing and Kullarri Team. Isn’t the soil colour amazing! 16
COOKE & DOWSETT ROSETTA PLUMBING
Andy May (aka The Boss)
As you all know the year 2020 has been enormously challenging for all thus far. Whilst at the time of writing it appears that Tasmania has been able to remain relatively COVID-19 free for a number of months now, the same cannot be said for some other states who are struggling with their second wave with crippling consequences. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all and a reminder to keep safe wherever you may be. The initial wave of the COVID pandemic through Tasmania and the consequential restrictions were very challenging. Some hopeful projects were shelved overnight, estimating workload came to an abrupt halt with zero across the tendering books for weeks. On site projects slowed as limitations and social distancing were enforced. Project admin reduced and the office was unfortunately forced to reduce hours and make a number of plumbing labour cuts. I would like to thank everyone for respective teamwork and sacrifices made to ensure the business would survive and come through stronger out of the metaphorical ashes. This of course extends to HQ and other business stakeholders. The support CDR received from the various business units was exceptional and quite frankly allowed us to survive through these unprecedented times. Again, at the time of writing we see Victoria struggling with the crippling restrictions of ‘stage 4 lockdowns’. Now is our time to provide that support back to HQ in any way possible but including the little things like hitting all our procedures (purchasing, reporting, forecasting, timesheets etc) to reduce any unnecessary workload burden. Also spare a thought what others are going through, please take the time when calling HQ to reach out ask R U OK… we should not underestimate the mental strain on our work colleagues. The other absolutely paramount way we must help is to ensure we are following both social distancing and proper hygiene procedures as per our health guidelines. Everyone reading this must do their bit to ensure Tasmania does not experience COVID-19; 2.0 (a second wave) or there will be further devastating consequences. The above being said, we must continue on, and we have done just that. Some projects to tender on slowly returned, we refocused our approach and have started to build back up again. 17
CDR Tender Board
Last month CDR launched our newly renovated premises at 98 Gormanston Rd in Moonah. A long time coming we finally have a place to call home. Neat, tidy, warm, purpose renovated offices and warehouse space to work from, train from and gather and have a beer in. a big thank you to all involved not least to S.S. Constructions, ‘make me sick’ how talented you are my friend! As you can see Andy May was in charge of signage for the offices and wasted no time labelling himself as ‘The Boss’. Whilst we almost had to have words, I let this one slide only for the year he has had both dealing with his great workload of his day job, as well as the COVID load on top including both in Tas and back home in Vic with strict travel restrictions, hotel isolation periods for both his wife and himself and now the latest situation in Victoria. We thank you for your loyal service Andy. Part of the renovations was a purpose-built training room with AV facilities to hook up with HQ. We have already put the space to good use holding a couple of training sessions with some of the team including Scissor and EWP session. No doubt we will have many more training sessions in this room as part of the ongoing development of our human resources. At the end of last month, we officially welcomed all staff to our offices including new Project Manager David Page to our expanding team. David brings with him a wealth of experience in managing commercial projects and we are excited to have him joining our ranks. We look forward to working with you moving forward.
Robert Pearhouse Director
New CDR HQ in Moonah TAS.
CENTRAL PLUMBING & HARDWARE
WE ARE OPEN! A reminder to all our valued customers Central Plumbing and Hardware remains open during the Stage 4 Covid-19 restrictions however we have implemented some new Covid-19 Safe processes! Unfortunately, we have closed our showroom to the public but you can contact our staff to discuss all of your plumbing and hardware needs! Contact Jon and the Central team on 9354 1323 or email sales@centralplumbing.net.au Visit our website – www.centralplumbing.net.au Don’t forget your facemask!
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CONGRATULATIONS TO DOUG JORDAN ON 10 YEARS EMPLOYMENT AT CENTRAL PLUMBING & HARDWARE How long have you been in the industry? 30 years (I started when I was 5) What do you like most about dealing with plumbers? Dealing with tradesmen is always a challenge but it is good to deal with people that know what they want. What is the best thing about working at Central Plumbing? Being a small company, the friendships with staff that are struck and the relationships with the customers that are created. What has been your greatest working achievement so far? Working my way up in the industry from driver to storeman to counter salesman to Management. How do you spend the majority of your leisure time? I’m a big sports fan, I enjoy supporting local football & cricket (when we could) with a few frothies while doing so! I also like to get away to my caravan in Tocumwal (with my dog) as often as possible. Anything else you would like to add? Get along to Central Plumbing and support a small local business.
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SOCIALS
Stephanie Hobbins
First time home owners! Congratulations to Vic based staff Matt Howe (Estimator) and Stephanie Hobbins (Senior Contract Administrator) who have both jumped in the property market recently. Matt and his partner Mary Rose have purchased a house in St. Albans and Stephanie and her partner Mark are about to move into their newly constructed home in Mickleham. Enjoy your new digs guys! Stephanie has had a busy month; she also received a certificate of appreciation on behalf of Cooke & Dowsett Plumbing Group to recognise her valued contribution and successful management and delivery of multiple projects. Stephanie’s positive attitude is contagious! Keep up the fantastic work Steph.
Malakai Tobias-Douglass Snell
Congratulation to Cooke & Dowsett Rosetta Plumbing’s plumber Nikki Fisher who welcomed a beautiful baby boy Malakai Tobias-Douglass Snell in June - both mum and bubs are doing well.
Louis the Cooke & Dowsett Albury Office Manager!
Guess Who? 25
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Congratulation to 2nd Year Apprentice Jasmine Garner who was one of the ten 2020 Rheem Apprentice Plumber Grant recipients who received $2,000 to assist with their TAFE/ RTO fees and textbooks, and $1,000 to help build their all -important toolbox. Jasmine is having a fantastic year! She plays football for North Melbourne in the AFLW, received back to back, All Australian selections and was also awarded the 2020 AFLW Players Most Valuable Player award. Jasmine also featured in a recent Master Plumbers magazine and is currently working at the State Netball Hockey Centre. She is enjoying her time working on such a prestigious state level sporting project. Keep up the good work Jasmine!
Cooke & Dowsett Rosetta’s Robert Pearshouse (Left) & Richard Flood Ring the Bell after a recent project win!!
Jasmine Garner on site at State Netball Hockey Centre
The crew at the State Netball Hockey Centre present Jasmin Garner (Centre) with a present to celebrate her AFLW Players Most Valuable Player Award.
L-R Trevor Minns, Mick Berry, Andrew Wright, Jasmine Garner, Stewart O’loughlin, Peter Mavropoulos and Bryce Healy.
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OFFICE LOCATIONS VICTORIA - HEAD OFFICE (Servicing SA, TAS & NZ) 25 McGregors Drive, Keilor Park VIC 3042 Ph 03 9365 7000 NEW SOUTH WALES 3A/39 Bennu Circuit, Albury NSW 2640 Ph 02 6043 2910 QUEENSLAND (Servicing NT) 4/525 Lytton Road, Morningside QLD 4170 Ph 07 3899 3519 WESTERN AUSTRALIA 1/15 Exchange Road, Malaga WA 6090 Ph 08 9249 4955 NUDJ (WA) 29 Clementson Street, Broome WA 6725 Ph 08 9192 5144 TASMANIA Cooke & Dowsett Rosetta Partnership 98 Gormanston Road Moonah TAS 7009 Ph 03 6144 5504 NEW ZEALAND 9 Gore Street Auckland NZ 0600 Ph +64 418 320 568 INFO@COOKEDOWSETT.COM.AU
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