SALT Tradies Stories

Millie Morris

Trade – Electrical and Refrigeration My trade career began in 1986 when a good friend encouraged me to go to TAFE and do an electrical course because I enjoyed car electrics. Little did I realise the pre-apprenticeship I enrolled in would set me on a path of becoming an electrician. At the end of the…

Di Buttenshaw

Trade – Signwriting Di has been Signwriting for over 15 years. She completed her apprenticeship studies at TAFE Illawarra whilst working at signage companies in Sydney and her hometown of Wollongong. Di is passionate about signage, whether it be designing, vehicle wrapping, installing shopfront & building signage or dusting off the old sign brushes and…

Cian Maciejewski

Trade – Landscaping My name is Cian Maciejewski. My passion for construction can be traced back to when I was 4 years old following my Dad around with a “work-man’s” belt consisting of a hammer, a screw driver and a spanner and then calling myself a “working man” as I helped him with his carpentry…

Amy Sirc

Trade – Carpentry/Bricklaying Previously working in hospitality management and in fashion design, Amy had a desire for something more challenging and found herself entering the trades at 29. After being inspired by an article written about women who changed careers and entered into male dominated industries, carpentry was top of the list of things to…

Amy Chetcuti

Trade – Mechanic/Diesel Fitter Amy is an Expedition Mechanic/Diesel Fitter, currently based at Australia’s Davis research station in Antarctica. Excelling in her trade, she is currently the only female mechanic in the Australian Antarctic Program. It took years of determination and persistence to acquire the skills required to win this position – it was no…

Emma McDonald

Trade – Electrician and open licensed Communications technician Age I entered the trade I started my apprenticeship at 33 years old! When I left school, it was still quite hard for females to get in to non traditional roles, especially in Kalgoorlie, where I grew up. After I graduated I applied for every trade I…

Hayley Guinnane

Trade: Carpentry Age you entered trade and how: 19, I did a pre-vo and then got an apprenticeship. What attracted you to your trade? I liked working with my hands and knew that office work wasn’t me. What challenges did you face? None at first. I loved doing my apprenticeship and I worked for a…

Nicole Hopley

Trade: Fitter and Turner. Specialising in Maintenance. My trade story began in yr 8 at school. After completing metal work and realising I loved working with my hands I began to look for work experience in the engineering fields. My then careers advisor wouldn’t allow me to find a suitable employer in the industry and…

Fi Shewring

Trade – Painting Decorating I never intended to become a tradeswoman, teacher or an advocate for women in trades, but as a single mother of five small children I met my second husband-to-be and started working with him in his painting business 25 years ago. He had been a single man just supporting himself and…

Sharon Dove

Trade – Boilermaker Age you entered trade: 30. What attracted you to your trade? Fell into it by accident, by helping my friends and found out I wasn’t too bad at it. What challenges did you face? Stereotypical males saying I should be home looking after the house. What kept you going? The comments…

Nancy Crevier

Trade – Electrical Age you entered trade and how? I was 28 when I started the school program, and I got my first job at 30. I was the only girl in the whole program of about 80 students. What attracted you to your trade? I knew I wanted to do some kind of…

Marcelle Bagu

Marcelle Bagu Trade – Carpentry Age you entered trade and how? 33 via an apprenticeship with Multiplex Constructions. I did a pre-apprenticeship course (Certificate 3 in Building and Construction – Framing and Formwork) at Box Hill TAFE and was offered an apprenticeship from Multiplex in the last 3 weeks of the course. What attracted you…

Malinda Street

Trade – Electrician (industrial) – Operator Maintainer Age you entered your trade and how; After repeating year 12 to gain entry into the Navy for a specific position, I found the position to be filled for that year with my marks not competitive enough even though I had not sat exams yet (I would have…

Louise Azzopardi

Trade – Heavy Vehicle Mechanic Age you entered trade and how. 15, work experience, then a Saturday job, then got offed 2 full time jobs and got into trade school, I picked full time at Cummins. What attracted you to your trade? I grew up on a farm always working with my hands, I also raced…

Jodie Grant

Trade – Cabinetmaker Started woodwork in year 8 at school and fell in love with it. Started school based apprenticeship in year 11 at 15 and worked for just over a year before I got laid off due to decline in business. Started full time apprenticeship in Jan 2004 and qualified March 2007 as Cabinet…

Georgia Hunt

Trade – Electrician Age you entered trade and how. I started at 20. I always wanted to do something challenging and outside the box. After a few years off when finishing school and taking life not to seriously I began to pester my dad again for work since he wouldn’t let me leave school in…

Danielle Barnes

Trade – Electrician I took all the academic HSC subjects, only to become very disillusioned with the idea of further full-time study, and had met my husband early on in life, and was not keen on relocating to study what I thought I wanted to do. So, instead of studying veterinary science, I thought about…

Christine Rampling

Trade – Horticulture & Arboriculture Age you entered trade and how 18 years old via a horticulture apprenticeship at Parliament House of Australia. My mum encouraged me to write to the places that I wanted to work at mid-way through year 12. I got a reply from Parliament House advising me they would be advertising…

Billie Smith

Trade – A Grade Electrician Age you entered trade and how. Commenced at age 17 in Jan 1990 – As first female apprentice at Australian Paper Manufacturers (APM – Maryvale Mill). What attracted you to your trade? I’m one of 4 girls and having grown up on a farm. Dad was all about teaching…

Courtney Nelson

Trade – Powerline Worker Age you entered your trade and how I was 24 when I applied for a job as a Powerline Worker Apprentice for Essential Energy. I registered during the apprentice recruitment of 2011. There were two positions open in the depot I wanted to get placement in and there were over…

Sonia Lea Morgenweck aka (Buschke)

SALT TRADESWOMAN, WORKSHOP TRADIE, COMMITTEE MEMBER, SALT OF THE EARTH VOLUNTEER TRADIE TRADE: PAINTER & DECORATOR AND SIGNWRITER Age you entered trade – I was 16, I completed year 10 and knew I didn’t want to go back to do year 11-12. I liked school but didn’t want to go on to University. I saw…

Fred Foster

SALT TRADESWOMAN, FOUNDING MEMBER, WORKSHOP TRADIE, COMMITTEE MEMBER, SALT OF THE EARTH VOLUNTEER TRADIE TRADE: FITTER AND MACHINIST. Currently DOGMAN on a building site. Age entered trade – 22 years as a Mature (????) age apprentice!! I studied 4U maths, 3U engineering, 2U physics and english at school. I was apparently destined to become an…

Di Robinson

SALT TRADESWOMAN, FOUNDING MEMBER, PAST COMMITTEE MEMBER, SALT OF THE EARTH VOLUNTEER TRADIE TRADE: PAINTER & DECORATOR AND SIGNWRITER Hi, I am Di Robinson, I am 53 and I am a Painter & Decorator and signwriter. Over the years, I have completed a number of courses in the hope of finding a…

Margeaux Janenko

TRADE: ELECTRICIAN Age you entered trade and how I started my apprenticeship when I was 19. I had worked and travelled for 2 years after I finished school… and after giving uni a test run, I just knew this was not the correct pathway for me. I applied for the Pre-vocational (career start) Certificate 2…

Brooke Mepham

SALT TRADESWOMAN, FOUNDING MEMBER, WORKSHOP TRADIE, COMMITTEE MEMBER TRADE: AUTOMOTIVE SPRAY PAINTER Age you entered trade and why Around 18 I was selected into the NRMA Jumpstart pre apprenticeship program. I completed the 6 month program and after a few months of looking gained an apprenticeship with a smash repairer. What attracted you to your…

Jessica Gardiner

SALT TRADESWOMAN, SALT WORKSHOP TRADIE, SALT OF THE EARTH VOLUNTEER TRADIE Trade – Plumber I had recently come home from a two month travel trek though China. For the first time in my life I wanted to lay some roots in a city and call it home. I wanted to learn a practical skill and mix up the…

Jacqueline Forrest

SALT TRADESWOMAN, FOUNDING MEMBER, SALT WORKSHOP TRADIE, SALT OF THE EARTH VOLUNTEER TRADIE TRADE: PAINTER AND DECORATOR Age you entered trade and why In July 2005, age 42 years, I was attracted to a Work Opportunities for Women course at Wollongong TAFE, a 6 month course which was an Introduction to Painting & Decorating. My…