Three top apprentice brickies competed in the final of the Firth National Silver Trowel Award on Friday 14 August.
All three did their block courses at MIT under Lecturer Warren Charlton.
Jayden Huch was one of the finalists who worked for six hours to build a small wall with a design of their choosing.
“I’m pretty happy with what I did in that time. I’m not tired,” he says following the six-hour event.
Benjamin Drinnan (left) and Jayden Huch finalise their brick walls
The winner will be announced at the annual Master Brick and Blocklayers Conference in mid-September.
“There are a few criteria like how straight it is, the corners and the overall appearance. This is a really coveted
award which will look great on their CVs,” Warren Charlton says.
Brendan Kerr is one of the three judges and a former winner of the Silver Trowel.
“The bricklayer in me feels very cruel having to pick a winner because they were all very good. I’m pretty impressed.
Visually the work is very, very good but we will use a wedge to measure it exactly,” says Mr Kerr who works for
concrete company Firth.
Benjamin is pleased with his finished wall
“They turned up with a great attitude. They came here with a plan and knowing what they had to do.
It was nice to see them hussle and make some decisions about what they were going to do,” he says.
Tyler Palmer, along with the other two finalists, did their block courses at MIT’s Tech Park
The finalists were selected after submitting a portfolio of their work to the Master Brick and Blocklayers.
All their work was assessed, and their employers were contacted as part of the judging process.
The award has been running for 38 years, and this is the second year it has been held at MIT’s TechPark.
