Ours boys cream of the crop

Plumber Brendan Baker, the boss Andrew McCarthy and drainlayer Colby Baker. Photo Bruce Barnard

They're two of the best in the country. And they're Tauranga's.

Apprentice plumber Brendan Baker and newly qualified drainlayer Colby Baker - good mates and work colleagues but not related - have received major accolades at the New Zealand Master Plumbing Awards in Nelson.

Brendan, 22, who is in the last year of his plumbing apprenticeship with Tauranga Hardware and Plumbing, won a Plumbing World Scholarship.

It means he's one of the top four apprentice plumbers in the country. 'A huge honour,” says Brendan. 'The boss must have talked us up a bit.” The scholarship means a cash prize, professional development mentoring and courses. His mate, Colby Baker, 23, who is now out of his apprenticeship as a drainlayer, won a James Douglas Medallion and is consequently one of the country's top young drainlayers. A cash prize for him too.

'I didn't even know what a drain layer was till I came here to do some labouring. So it's all turned out pretty well. Very proud,” says Andrew McCarthy, Tauranga Hardware and Plumbing general manager. 'We have trained dozens of apprentices and never had this level of recognition. Good for the company, good for the industry and good for Tauranga.”

He believes the success at the awards will encourage young people to get into the trade, something to aspire to in an industry with a bit of a stigma. 'There's a perception that all plumbers and drainlayers do is wallow around in muck, that all they do is unblock drains and are dogs bodies. There's a whole lot more to it and these guys are testament to that.”

And he writes Brendan and Colby glowing report cards. 'Great work ethic, totally focused on customer service, a can-do attitude and always at work on time. You may laugh but that's something that doesn't happen with a lot of young people today.”

And on the back of these awards, the young plumber and drainlayer have a message.

'At school I knew academia wasn't for me,” says Brendon. 'I just wanted to get my hands dirty.” So they're recommending young people, still at school and considering a career, to consider an apprenticeship and not just university. 'With an apprenticeship you are learning on the job. You are being paid to learn. No student loan,”says Colby.

'They're great young men,” says the boss Andrew McCarthy. 'We are very proud of them.”

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