UPDATES: Personal Pars
Personal Pars proudly sponsored by Hays
Condolences to George Allingame (Pindan) and his family on the passing of his wife Mary’s mother in Adelaide in October. A big cheerio to Master Builders Northern Territory executive director, Graham Kemp, who is recovering from a period of ill health. Phil Milne and Don Fowlie have joined Cbus Superannuation as employee coordinators in WA following Alan Hughes’ retirement. James Moore is the employer contact in WA (phone 9463 3934). As well as her role as ReddiFund business development manager, Jill Dixon recently has been appointed to the WA Chapter council of the National Association of Women in Construction as membership chair. Jill’s aim is to grow NAWIC membership in WA. NAWIC is an international not-for-profit organisation that seeks to support the endeavours, and raise the profile, of women in the construction industry. Condolences to the family and friends of Peter Eden, a past president of Master Builders South Australia, who has died after a courageous battle with melanoma. He established Galaxy Homes in 1979 and went on to develop the Eden Living brand. Peter was a free thinker who was always ready to challenge tradition and look for an alternative and better way to improve the industry.
Master Builders’ outgoing president, Robert Shaw, the passionate West Coast Eagles supporter (and seafood connoisseur?).
After three years:
30 questions for Shaw
At the end of his three-year tour of duty as Master Builders’ president, we sat down with Robert Shaw and asked him the tough (and not so tough) questions:
When did you start working in the building and construction industry? When I was 17 years old in Wagga Wagga, New South Whales. When did you decide to become a builder instead of continuing on with your carpentry trade? This was a very natural progression for me, as I was doing a lot of contracting and work for a builder over many years. How did you and Mick Daly join forces to form Daly and Shaw Building? Mick and I met when then girlfriend, now wife, Penny, and I were travelling around Australia on a working holiday when I was 24. What inspired you to become a part of Master Builders? We joined to keep a Master Builders’ staff member who was calling on us happy. He was very insistent membership would add value to our business. After joining the Association what encouraged you to become more actively involved? Master Builders’ staff member, Veronica Mill, was very persistent to get me to attend a Housing Council meeting just for a look. The rest is history. Who was the President when you joined the Board of Management? Dan Perkins. What have been some the greatest challenges you have faced being Master Builders’ president? It’s always time management but that’s one of the challenges. I love fitting in as much as I can into a day.
What will be your favourite memory as president? The opening of our first regional Master Builders’ building in Geraldton. What has been the biggest challenge being president and running your own business? I have had to utilise technology to make sure I am across things and contactable. My iPad and I have become very close! What do you do to relax? Spending time with my wife and two daughters, travel, boys’ fishing trips, boating, AFL and netball. Are you involved with any other organisations? Yes, I’m current president of Netball WA. As president and business owner what has been the most novel place you have visited? The Kimberley’s Horizontal Waterfalls and El Questro Homestead and Niagara Falls. Who do you admire most in the industry? Len Buckeridge. What are the biggest challenges confronting our industry? Without a doubt, red tape is my number one, and then followed by the looming trade shortage. What have you enjoyed most about being president? Working with the Association Board, our CEO and our staff to improve the future of our industry. If you could change one thing in the building and construction industry, what would it be and why? I would make the planning and building approval process
WA Master Builder
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