Award semi finalist Mathew Hall.
STAWELL - Mathew Hall has added another achievement to his long list of accolades, by being named as a semi finalist in the Academy Graphics Regional Achiever Award category of the Victorian Young Achiever Awards.
Mathew has been judged a semi finalist from a strong field of nominees.
The aim of the Victorian Young Achiever Awards is to encourage, reward and most importantly promote the positive achievements of young Victorians up to 28 years of age.
Mathew is no newcomer to securing awards. In 2009, he claimed the Rotary Club of Melbourne Frank Newman Training Award. The same year he won the Victorian Apprentice of the Year award and was a finalist in the Australian Training Awards.
Mathew was awarded the Northern Grampians Shire Council's Young Citizen of the Year award on Australia Day, 2010 and the following year, he represented Australia at the 41st annual Worldskills Competition in London, where he claimed a bronze medal in the manufacturing team challenge.
During these awards, Mathew was employed by Stawell Engineering.
Now working for himself as a sub-contractor, 24-year-old Mathew has excelled in his chosen career as a fitter and turner. He works across Victoria as well as interstate and has a passion for his chosen field which stems from a love of fixing and building things on the farm from a very young age.
Mathew was educated at Stawell Secondary College where he successfully completed his VCE in 2006 with an ENTER score of 90.95, including scores of 48 and 49 in VET Engineering and Systems Technology - Automotive respectively. He received a Premier's Award for both of these subjects with his Engineering score being the highest in the state that year.
It was through year 12 work placement that Mathew picked up his apprenticeship with local business Stawell Engineering after deciding that he wanted to pursue a more 'hands on' approach in the working world which his previous choice of a Mechanical Engineering degree at university would not provide.
A highlight of Mathew's secondary school years was his involvement in the RACV Energy Breakthrough Challenge in years 10, 11 and 12.
Mathew was a solid contributor to the team, making parts for an energy efficient vehicle to compete against other schools from around the state, He describes this experience as one of the strongest influences on his decision to undertake an Engineering apprenticeship.
The completion of VET Engineering, along with his sense of commitment and passion for learning, allowed Mathew to fulfil the trade school element of his apprenticeship in 19 months instead of the predicted 36.
Upon completion of Certificate Three in Engineering - Mechanical Trade, Mathew was awarded the Ronaldson Brothers and Tippet Founders prize for the best student in his course as well as the University of Ballarat's Apprentice of the Year award.
During his time at Stawell Engineering Mathew was a valued employee, calling upon his excellent communication skills to ensure the most efficient turnaround of jobs for his clients. A major part of his role was dealing with plant breakdowns for major clients including the Stawell Gold Mine, Stawell Quarry and Wimmera Racing. As a result of this, Mathew is keenly aware of the importance of good communication, often stating that a workshop cannot run effectively without it. This was just one of the many skills that saw Mathew crowned the 2009 Victorian Apprentice of the Year and in turn nominated as a finalist In the National Apprentice of the Year.
His involvement in the WorldSkills program has been a major part of Mathew's professional development to date. Mathew was selected as captain for the Manufacturing Team Challenge at the 2011 International WorldSkills event in London.
Being part of the team for London was a huge commitment for Mathew, he travelled to Canberra one weekend a month for training, missing a day of work each time. To Mathew and the team's credit, they came away from the London event with a Bronze medal in their section.
Mathew then volunteered as a judge at the 2012 National WorldSkills event, watching on with pride and excitement as others just like him competed for their titles.
One would be forgiven for thinking that with all this work, Mathew would have no time for play, it isn't so. Mathew prides himself on his dedication to his community of Joel Joel and is involved in a number of volunteer pursuits. He is an active member of the Joel Joel Fire Brigade, handicapper at the Stawell Smallbore Rifle Club and shoot marshal and committee member at the Callawadda/Stawell Clay Target Club.
Smallbore shooting is another area where Mathew has excelled. In 2009, he shot in the Victorian State Championships finishing eighth overall and at the Target Rifle Australian National Championships in Adelaide where he came away with three national medals in the open section, including a Gold in the C Grade 20 metre three position category. Mathew's commitment to his chosen sport and his determination to succeed is further evidence of his outstanding character.