Apprentice wins inaugural scholarship

Matthew Webley is the inaugural recipient of the Mount Gambier Lakes Rotary Club GTE Apprentice Scholarship.

The Mount Gambier Lakes Rotary Club, in partnership with Group Training Employment, joined forces to set up the scholarship program to assist traditional trade apprentices from the South East region of South Australia who have demonstrated hardship in their personal circumstances and aptitude in vocational education and training, to achieve their potential by successfully completing their trade training.

Matthew is a 3rd year Apprentice Bricklayer, employed by GTE and hosted with Steve Jensen’s Bricklaying & Stonemasonry.

Undertaking an apprenticeship poses a significant challenge for anyone but after recently sustaining a serious personal injury, Matthew’s capacity to work in his trade was severely impacted, so was his short-term ability to support his wife and six children.

Now fully recovered, the scholarship is helping Matthew get back on his feet.

“Things were really tough for me over the time I was injured,” Matthew said. “Not being able to work was bad enough, but not being able to do simple things at home and the added financial strain on top of that was just a whole other level.

“I was unable to work for 3 months, so money got really tight and we had no choice but to have some of our bills pile up.

“The assistance we are able to receive from the Mount Gambier Lakes Rotary Club through this scholarship just means so much, it has taken some of the pressure off of me and I can’t thank them and GTE enough.”

Matthew was presented with the scholarship at a recent Lakes Rotary Club meeting, where he had the opportunity to share his story with club members and talk about his future plans,” he said.

“I am intending to finish my apprenticeship and stay on with Steve as a qualified tradesman. We have known each other for almost 20 years, so he isn’t just a good boss, he is a good friend as well. My family and I love it here in Mount Gambier and we have no plans to leave. Eventually I would like to start my own business, but that is a while away yet.”

Mount Gambier Lakes Rotary Club’s Marian Hodson expressed her delight to have Matthew awarded with the inaugural apprenticeship scholarship for 2024/25.

“From a strong pool of applicants he rose to the top for a range of reasons, notably the depth and range of his contributions,” she said. “He clearly has the support of both his employer and family.

“When Matthew attended our meeting, members who were not involved in the selection process got to hear first hand about who he is as an employee and a member of our community.

“Having an inquisitive nature, like Rotarians do, Matthew handled a range of questions about all areas he had talked about. We look forward to staying connected with Matthew and hearing from him over the course of the year. A thoroughly worthy recipient, who has now set an extremely high bar for those who follow.”

GTE WHS & Compliance Officer Charlie Matthews co-ordinated the application process for the scholarship.

“I am pleased with the response we have had in relation to the announcement of the scholarship and the quality of applications received,” Charlie said. “GTE are proud of Matthew and recognise his positive contribution to his host Steve’s workplace, as well as the community in general.

“Unfortunately we can only offer this scholarship to one recipient each year, despite the amount of genuine need.

“While Matthew has demonstrated the strongest satisfaction of the assessment criteria on this occasion, the process has also raised our awareness, more specifically, of the struggles some of our other employees are currently facing.

“It has never been easy to undertake an apprenticeship and requires an investment from all involved, not just the apprentice themselves.

“As a community focused not-for-profit company, GTE are committed to supporting all of its workers as best we can, but we aren’t able to do it alone.

“Many of our support structures involve collaboration with other organisations within our community. In this instance we are proud to have the opportunity to partner with The Mount Gambier Lakes Rotary Club and thank them for their generosity in offering this scholarship.”

The Mount Gambier Lakes Rotary Club GTE Apprentice Scholarship is an addition to many of the club’s other community offerings including the Australia Day Breakfast, Blue Lake Fun Run, sports scholarships for local residents, science and engineering based programs for primary and secondary school students as well as numerous charities on a global level.

If this has inspired you to think about what you could do to help your community, you may want to consider joining the Mount Gambier Lakes Rotary Club as a member. For more information, please email: [email protected]