![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/07\/HamishWebster_5_45709.jpeg\")
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“The combined weight of responsibilities to my apprenticeship, study, mortgage repayments and repairing my house have constantly been affecting my mental health.”<\/p>\n
Webster said the financial pressures of being a mature-age apprentice were significant.<\/p>\n
“As a mature-age apprentice, I have a far greater financial burden than younger apprentices,” he said.<\/p>\n
“After mortgage repayments, weekly groceries and fuel, little is left for saving for new tools and equipment.<\/p>\n
“The financial burden of completing the repairs to my home combined with my limited income often has me contemplating giving up on my dream of becoming a builder and finding alternative employment.<\/p>\n
“The funding provided through the Bert Evans Scholarship has been invaluable to me in helping me purchase the last of the tools and materials needed to complete the repairs to my home.”<\/p>\n
For more information about the Bert Evans Apprentice Scholarships, visit the NSW Department of Education website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NIMBIN resident Hamish Webster has been rebuilding his flood-damaged home while completing a carpentry apprenticeship, with support from the Bert Evans Apprentice Scholarship. Webster, who is in his 30s, is completing a Certificate III in Carpentry while working with JIC&B, balancing a mortgage, rebuilding his home and living on an apprentice wage. The Bert Evans […]<\/p>\n