PAINTERS
DOMAIN MAGAZINE
WHY HOW YOU COPE DEFINES YOU
JC FROM
Powderfinger:
From Bass To Business
Develop A Winning TEAM CULTURE
PAINTERS WHO FIGHT FIRES
The Number 1 Magazine For Painters
'MAKING AN INVISIBLE ISSUE IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE'
WWW.TRADEMUTT.COM
'REMOVING THE PHYSICAL AND FINANCIAL BARRIERS TO ACCESSING PROFESSIONAL MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT' TO DONATE HEAD TO
WWW.TIACS.ORG AN INITIATIVE OF
THE DIRECTORY INDUSTRY ORGANISATIONS
Painters Domain Magazine 07 3198 2477 Master Painters And Decorartors WA masterpainters.asn.au (08) 9471 6662 Master Painters Australia NSW/ACT Association Inc. masterpainters.com.au (02) 9758 8877 Master Painters Australia Vic/Tas mpav.com.au (03) 9813 5922 Master Painters Australia Qld www.mpa.org.au (07) 3277 8646 Likeminded Painters Australia likemindedpainters.com.au 0447 143 297 Paintback paintback.com.au 1300 390 380 Cbus Super cbussuper.com.au 1300 361 784
INDUSTRY AFFAIRS
HR Matters hrmatters.com.au 0403 576 797 Australian Taxation office www.ato.gov.au 13 28 61 Worksafe Australia www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/ Fairwork Ombudsman www.fairwork.gov.au 13 13 94 Small & Family Business Ombudsman Australia www.asbfeo.gov.au 1300 650 460
Business Support and Grants Australia www.business.gov.au 13 28 46 Telecommunication Ombudsman www.tio.com.au 1800 062 058
HEALTH & MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT SERVICES
(THESE ARE NOT 24 HOUR SUPPORT) HALT ( Hope Assistance Local Tradies) thehaltbrekky.com TIACS Foundation (This is a conversation starter) tiacs.org Support after suicide www.supportaftersuicide.org.au (03) 9421 7640 Asbestos Disease Support Society www.adss.org.au 1800 776 412 Cancer Council Support www.cancer.org.au 13 11 20 Danger Sun Overhead www.dangersunoverhead.org.au 0411 101 886
CRISIS SUPPORT & SUICIDE PREVENTION
Lifeline www.lifeline.org.au 13 11 14 Beyond Blue www.beyondblue.org.au 1300 224 636 Suicide call back service www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au 1300 659 467 If you are in an emergency, or at immediate risk of harm to yourself or others, please contact emergency services on 000.
CONTENTS John Collins: Bass To Business: Pivot Like A Rockstar ............................................................9 TAUBMANS Paint By PPG Releases Game-Changing COLOURSMITH Colour-Creation Technology...................... 13
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Australia: Painters One Day, Firefighters The Next ..................................... 17
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Emotions May Drive You, But How You Cope Defines You ...............23 Supporting Women In The Industry ..... 27 JobKeeper To Stay.......................................... 29 Why Does A Business Need A Professional Email Address?..................... 30 Apprentice Incentives Need To Change ............................................... 31
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Danger! Sun Overhead! ................................33
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Develop A Winning Team Culture ......... 36 Review: Breakfast Creek Hotel..................37
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Editor
In CHIEF
CLAYTON COUGHLAN
This magazine was created to inspire, educate and share real stories, information and tips to support you on your journey as a painter.
life and property in Australia’s recent bushfire crisis, selflessly taking time away from their own business to carry out their roles as volunteer firefighters.
The last few months has affected painting businesses across Australia in various ways. While some businesses slowed down for a few weeks and have now returned to normal or busier, others are still relying on JobKeeper to keep them going. It was welcome news to these businesses when the Morrison Government announced on July 21st that JobKeeper and JobSeeker would be extended to March 2021.
Be sure to check out the story behind COLOURSMITH™ by PPG, one of the biggest developments in colour.
On a lighter note, in this edition of Painters Domain Magazine we try to take your mind off the crazy world we currently live in, with some great articles. We chat to John “JC” Collins for Aussie Rock Band Powderfinger about making the transition from bass player to businessman. Painters Domain also catches up with a couple of painters who defended
I will take you to the Breakfast Creek Hotel in Brisbane and give you a bit of insight into the fascinating history of this iconic hotel. Last but not least, be sure to also head to our website and check out the new Painters Domain Podcast! If you or someone you know has a story to share and you would like to be featured in Painters Domain magazine, please visit our website www.paintersdomain.com.au and click on the share your story button and one of my highly talented editorial team will be in contact with you.
Clayton
OUR CONTRIBUTORS JOHN COLLINS John Collins, often referred to as “J.C.” by his fellow band members, was the mainstay bass guitarist for Australian rock band Powderfinger since 1989. He is one of the founding members of the band, along with guitarist Ian Haug, forming at their high school, Brisbane Grammar School as a three piece, before calling in day back in 2010. Collins re-imagined his rockstar career to take on a major project in opening one of Brisbane’s hottest live music venues, The Triffid. The converted World War II aircraft hangar in Newstead is enjoying a second life as one of Brisbane’s coolest-looking hangouts and brings the best of international, national and local acts to the stage. thetriffid.com.au
DAN ALLEN - TRADEMUTT Australian Workwear brand, Trademutt aims to make tradies and workers of all kinds look and feel great at work, and in doing so, reduce the rate of male suicide in Australia. Their loud and vibrant shirts act as a catalyst to starting the conversation around mental health in men, a topic that has been hard to approach in the past for blokes, mostly due to the attached stigmas and perceived weakness. trademutt.com
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BJORN SPEE Bjorn has had an extensive background in IT for more than 15 years starting in his native Netherlands and in Australia for major clients including Vodafone, HelloWorld and Sabic. Bjorn has worked as an office IT manager, project manager, team leader and support specialist for a host of clients, more recently Bjorn has become involved more with the painting industry by joining the team at Likeminded Painters Australia. likemindedpainters.com.au
WARRICK BIDWELL AND NICOLE COX (Or Waz And Nic)
Tradies In Business owners Warrick Bidwell and Nicole Cox (or Waz and Nic) have been working with trade business owners for more than 10 years, supporting them to implement the necessary steps to get ‘off the tools’ and into true business ownership. Waz and Nic both come from trade backgrounds themselves so they have realworld experience in the frustrations, challenges, opportunities and stuff-ups that are the reality of what life is like for #tradiesinbusiness! They share a wealth of resources to inspire, educate and support you to create your own version of getting off the tools and into your own business. tradiesinbusiness.com.au
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Business
John Collins
Bass To Business: Pivot Like A Rockstar By Hollie Faye
P
erforming on stage in front of 100,000 people in a band who for twenty years carved themselves iconic status in Australian rock history, Powderfinger bassist, John Collins has enjoyed a career most blokes only dream about. The band’s breakthrough album, Internationalist, came in 1998 but it was Odyssey Number Five, released in 2000, with the hit My Happiness, that catapulted them to the major leagues, where they remained for the next decade.
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But, after two decades together, in 2010 Powderfinger announced that they would be breaking up after their Sunsets Farewell Tour, declaring it would be their last ever as they had musically said everything they wanted to say. So, what does a rockstar do once the curtains close and the party’s over? Painters Domain magazine chats
to Powderfinger’s bass guitarist, John Collins about life after fame. “The end was emotional. I knew I was never going to have that crowd again. I knew for me, I’d never get the feeling of twelve thousand people in the audience. But, we just felt it was the right thing to do,” Collins said. Once he let the dust settle down, Collins knew he had some big decisions to make. Contemplating starting again and trying to figure out what to create for himself took some time. After exploring a bunch of interests, he not surprisingly came back to where he had begun. The music industry. “I knew for sure that I didn’t want to work for someone else,” he said. “Being in the band, I missed weddings and birthdays for years. I even had to ask my manager when I could get married! My aim was to get control of my life back.” John strongly believed Brisbane needed a great music venue. He knew his credibility would be on the line and it was a risky move, but it also felt like the most natural step in his life to take on a project that would become The Triffid in Newstead. It took 18 months to transform an old World War II US aircraft hangar into a music venue that hosts up to 800 people, which was not as simple a task as he hoped. “It was a great idea – a few containers, throw it together. Those containers are now proper full-on bars,” Collins said.
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“On paper it doesn’t look like this massive job but it’s been huge.”
venues for decades nutting out what would feel good for the bands and the patrons coming in to give them the best experience.
“I had this belief that if I build it they will come. I really underestimated how much work it is and how hard it is to get from Stepping inside The Triffid is like your idea to where you start making stepping back in time. The shipping money.” container design conjures up feelings of an outdoor Fisherman’s Wharf mixed “I had to take a book of The Triffid with Broadie Tavern in Australia 1983. around to agents with a drawing in His gamble really paid off and there’s it. They said they wouldn’t book their simply nothing else like it in Brisbane. bands in it until it was ready to go, so we had to buy bands for two months. I was So, life must feel pretty good now for bleeding money out on buying bands to John, who can still surround himself with get it going in the beginning and I just live music day and night, in a venue that didn’t realise how much I was bleeding.” is straight out of his own head? “I had to sign off for everything. Everything. It was a constant fight with the builder, nicely over a coffee, but it had to be done. I didn’t know how to do all that sort of stuff, I didn’t even know about P & L at that stage, so I just had to keep going back to what I saw in my head. I had to keep going back to the belief.” Collins said he was excited about the future but admitted he had no idea what he was getting into when he persuaded Scott Hutchinson from site owner Hutchinson Builders to go ahead with the project. “I had plenty of doubters and my wife was worried about me being in that type of venue, around the drinking and nightlife. I had mates who thought I was mad, but I just said to them ‘not since Bernie joined the band in 1989, have I felt so sure of something.’” Collins garnered all the experience he had from being on stage in pub
“I’m pretty strict with my timetable. I work Monday to Friday and maybe one night a week, if it’s a band I really like. But it’s a balance between family and work, now. I’ve done twenty years of travelling, so I’m done with all that.” Watching up and coming bands play live would poke most people’s green eyed monsters a little, but John knows he got out of the industry at the right time. With streaming music as the new norm, we don’t buy albums anymore. A number one record used to sell about half a million copies and a musician could make a living, but these days, it’s a different game altogether. “Steaming was the beginning of the end for bands. I really feel for young bands trying to make it these days. You have to tour or get your songs played on ads to make it. Things are so different now and we got out just before all this happened.” www.paintersdomain.com.au 11
“Creating and nurturing young talent is one of the most rewarding things about a venue. It’s The Triffid’s thing - to always have new artists. I want to see bands starting out at The Triffid and making it at Boondall. Supporting new talent is so important,” he said. In July 2019 John partnered up with Queensland builder Scott Hutchinson to launch their latest venture, Fortitude Music Hall. This 3000 person music venue just up the road from the Triffid sits at the top of the Brunswick Street Mall and hosts bands, comedy, cabaret, dance, exhibition and gala performances in the largest ballroom/ 12
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theatre styled venue in Australia. Inspired by some of the world’s most loved live music venues – from classic art deco theatres to larger clubs, while still paying homage to the iconic venues of Brisbane’s past. Does he miss it? Well, Collins never really stepped off the stage entirely. His three piece rock band featuring original Powderfinger drummer Steven Bishop and guitarist and current ‘The Church band’ member Ian Haug have been gigging for the last decade. “And, I still play every day.”
Home
TAUBMANS Paint By PPG Releases Game-Changing COLOURSMITH Colour-Creation Technology BY PETER MARTIN
Consumers can now create bespoke paint colours from inspiration all around them TAUBMANS® paint by PPG today released its revolutionary COLOURSMITH™ app and website, which allow consumers to create their own bespoke paint colours from a physical or visual source using a seamless integration of colour matching and visualisation technologies. Both platforms enable users to create their own paint colour from an image or
the brand’s colour library, while the app also allows colours to be created from physical objects and surfaces. Before ordering a sample pot of Taubmans paint via the app or website, users can digitally paint a three-dimensional room to experience their colour virtually. The Coloursmith app converts any smartphone* camera into a colour scanner that can be used anywhere and at any time to create bespoke paint colours. When combined with the Coloursmith Window – a small, but powerful colour measurement card
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– or paired by Bluetooth with the Coloursmith Reader – a professional tool that enables superior colour matching – the colour captured through the app is exponentially more precise. Both tools can be purchased via the app, website and in-store. “A game-changer for consumers and the paint industry, the Coloursmith technology represents a global business shift to intelligent digital tools,” said Anne Neeson, PPG general manager, architectural coatings, Australia and New Zealand. “The Taubmans brand is boldly enabling everyone to create their own bespoke paint colours. We are empowering people who love colour to trust their own instincts, be inspired and surround themselves with the colours they love.” Research reveals that consumers visit in-store paint colour walls an average of seven times before choosing paint colours for a project+. The Coloursmith technology simplifies and reduces the steps to paint colour selection, using the familiar functionality and convenience of an e-commerceenabled website and smartphone app. “We have combined brilliant technology, premium paint and rich personalisation to enable people to create personally unique and meaningful colours,” explains Rachel Lacy, chief coloursmith, Taubmans Australia. “There’s no more secondguessing your hero hue or labouring
over the ‘right’ white or neutral. The Coloursmith technology generates a range of colour combinations to match every created paint colour, empowering users to choose the combination they like best.” A Coloursmith in-store service is also available at the paint counter in all Bunnings, BRISTOL® and Taubmans stores across Australia, where sample pots and tins of the bespoke paint colours can be purchased in standard sizes. The Taubmans paint brand by PPG is renowned for driving innovation in the Australian paint industry. In 2018, the brand pioneered the first Taubmans Colour Emotion Study**, which was conducted in collaboration with the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, to scientifically prove the connection between colour and mood using virtual reality. Through the Coloursmith technology, Taubmans paint by PPG has again revolutionised the way people interact with and experience colour while also delivering an entirely new, customer-centric solution to paint colour selection. In addition, the brand continues to invest in its colour formulation processes and equipment to uphold the highest paint colour creation standards. https://coloursmith.com.au/
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Life
Australia:
PAINTERS ONE DAY, FIREFIGHTERS THE NEXT By Jo Wilson www.paintersdomain.com.au 17
I
t’s been a big year. With a global pandemic taking over our day to day lives, it seems like a lifetime ago that Australia was in the grips of one of our worst fire outbreaks in our country’s history. Bushfires began blazing in Australia last September, and intensified over the next few months to “apocalyptic” levels, as more than 15.6 million acres burned. The fires killed at least 25 people and destroyed 2,000 homes. Experts also estimate that over 1 billion animals died during the seemingly endless assault from bushfires. Both professional firefighters and thousands of volunteers worked day and night to stop the fires’ spread. Amongst those putting their lives on the line were two of the painting industries veteran painters. Tasmanian painting contractor, Simon Thomas and NSW painting contractor Bob Jansma together have almost 80 years of painting experience between them. Being self-employed meant that when the fires broke out late last year, both volunteer firefighters were ready to take time off their day job and deploy to NSW to do their bit on the front line. Painters Domain magazine chats to each of these brave blokes about their experiences when, as both say, “the shit hit the fan.”
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Name: Bob Jansma Location: NSW Painting Career: 45 years. Firefighting Career: Since 1998
HOW DID YOU BEGIN IN THE PAINTING INDUSTRY? My father and uncle were painters in Sydney during the 60’s and 70’s, so I used to help out during school holidays and was quite proficient by the time I’d finished my HSC. When I moved to the coastal village where I am, I found there was no work. A bit of networking had me talking to some people who heard that I could paint, and I began from there.
WHAT LED YOU TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER? Unless you live in a country town or village it’s hard to understand volunteering. 80% of people in the village I live in volunteer in some way or another. It might be with a progress association, coastal patrol, sports club, or fire brigade. I tend to wear many hats
“The first time I drove through the area where 90 houses burnt down, I was brought to tears.” – Bob Jansma www.paintersdomain.com.au 19
throughout the year; I make a mean scone at the local fair.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU GET A CALL TO FIGHT FIRES? When I first joined, I was highly active, going to training, and doing extra courses, to reach the Crew Leader stage, which now puts me into a position where I am a Deputy Captain of the brigade. After all the kids I have had (six of mine and a couple of foster kids), I pulled back a bit and told the brigade that I was still there for when shit hit the fan.
WHAT WAS YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THE 19/20 FIRES? I had a regular shift I was on that went from 5pm until 1am, although depending on what happened that could go until 3 or 4am, with a couple of all-nighters. This lasted for around about a month, although my Captain and a few others went to the North Coast of NSW for three weeks and when they arrived back the shit really did hit the fan here.
WHAT WAS THE HARDEST PART OF THE EXPERIENCE? These were the most devastating fires that have happened in most people’s lifetimes. The loss of a good mate who tried to save his house and the loss of properties will scar me.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT BEING A FIREFIGHTER? I enjoy the comradery of the men and women I serve with. That makes the job so much easier. You must also trust whoever is in charge and in each other, although it does haunt me at times. The first time I drove through the area where 90 houses burnt down, I was brought to tears. A few days later we had to go through again and the resilience of the people was something I will never forget and still tears me up a bit thinking of them.
WERE THESE THE BIGGEST FIRES YOU HAVE HAD TO TACKLE? In the scheme of things, yes, by far the biggest in NSW, maybe even Australia. It just went on and on. You would wake up in the morning hoping that it had gone away but then have a sigh and say here we go again. 20
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Name: Simon Thomas Location: Tasmania Painting Career: 33 years Firefighting Career: 2 years
WHAT LED YOU TO GET INTO THE PAINTING INDUSTRY? I was initially attracted by the artistic side of the industry, but over time that expanded into every part of the trade. I have been pretty blessed by the industry and have worked in some interesting places, from remote South West Tasmania, Islands in Indonesia and several mine sites in Central Africa. I think this is what gave me the tools to become a Tafe lecturer in W.A for 11 years.
WHY DID YOU BECOME A FIREFIGHTER? “I wanted to give something back to the community” is the usual answer and a big part of that is true, but to be honest, I think there’s an opportunity to test your own courage, to see if you have what it takes, when the shit hits the fan. There is no greater feeling than saving someone’s life or property.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU GET A CALL TO FIGHT FIRES IN TASSIE? We would average out to one callout a month in my area. The rate of fires in Tasmania has increased slightly over the last decade due to climate change, and callouts are coming more often, but I am situated in a valley where our fire risk is fairly low. Our callouts are a mixture of Structure fires, MVA’s (motor vehicle accidents) and vegetation fires.
I am also the Community Engagement Officer for our district.
WHAT WAS YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THE 2020 FIRES? I did two interstate deployments for the 19/20 fires. A week in Kempsey, NSW and a week in Cooma near the Snowy Mountains.
WERE THESE THE BIGGEST FIRES YOU’VE HAD TO TACKLE? Without a doubt! On both of the 20man Strike Teams that I was deployed with, the sentiment was the same; the biggest for everyone. And, we had some very long serving members on those teams!
WHAT WAS IT LIKE? I had the most amazing experiences on both of my deployments and met some truly inspiring people. We saved some properties and gave the RFS guys some much needed rest. This alone made it worthwhile. If you ever wanted to be a part of something great, I can highly recommend it. What’s not to love? Amazing people with a great support network. We Aussies have the community spirit in spades and getting involved is extremely rewarding. I haven’t yet had to deal with a death, so I guess that is something I will have to see how I cope with, if and when it happens.
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Health
Your Emotions May Drive You,
But How You Cope Defines By Dan Allen, Trademutt You
W
hat happens if you’ve found yourself in a nice stable job that has allowed you to feel safe and secure and then suddenly without much notice at all, things are suddenly all over? Job security is something that so many people crave but very few have the luxury of. Having a steady reliable source of income gives us the foundation upon which to build so many other parts of our lives and without it, it can be difficult to see any kind of positive future. We get the fear – it’s natural. Absolutely everyone has been there before. It
whole-heartedly sucks and quite often the first thing we do is go into survival mode. Losing a job out of the blue causes a huge amount of stress, fear and anxiety, with the overarching feeling of “what the hell am I going to do now?” So much of our identity stems from what profession we are in or what kind of worker we identify as. For example, you’re either a tradie, a programmer, a pilot or a digital strategist. The second that you don’t have a secure job, you can also find yourself falling into the trap of feeling like you’ve lost your identity. www.paintersdomain.com.au 23
The first thing to remember is that you are so much more than a tradie. People should not be distinguished by what they do for a living. Losing your job does not mean that you no longer serve a purpose or have a place in the world, it is simply an unforeseen shake-up, and as a resilient person, you will adapt and overcome. You have the opportunity to choose the difficult path and exercise healthy coping mechanisms rather than unhealthy ones. When a sudden life-changing event happens, as we process the situation, we are faced with a series of decisions or crossroads. At each one of these intersections, we can choose to go left or right. Whichever way we turn will then lead to a different set of decisions at the next crossroad. Ultimately, as we continue on the decision-making journey, we start to carve out a path that leads to two very different destinations. Now here’s the kicker – instead of thinking about turning left or right and not being sure of the destination, think of each intersection as the hard path and easy path, and understand that
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there are two outcomes - positive or negative. This is a massive opportunity for you right now. The fear that you feel is warranted, the uncertainty is justified, but you now have the ability to prove to yourself that you can take a tough situation and use it for positive personal growth. We are not made of glass. The way that you do this is by making a really conscious decision to choose healthy coping mechanisms. Don’t fight the feeling – If you’ve just lost your job, that sucks. Understand that the disappointment and fear that you feel is absolutely ok and that you are well within your rights to feel like shit. It’s about how you immediately deal with the disappointment that defines you. Talk about it – Reach out to your trusted support networks as soon as you can and vent about what’s going on. Make sure that you consider who you talk to and how because some people will be better than others to talk. For example, if you’re talking to your best mate, have at it. However, if you’re letting your kids know, you need to take a far lighter and considered approach.
“Don’t make choices that will make you feel good at night without first considering if you’ll still feel good in the morning” Control the controllables – that means you. The only thing you can have complete control over is yourself. You have the power to choose the hard or the easy path. The easy path looks like reaching into the beer fridge and consuming a depressant until you forget everything. Please note that keyword – depressant. A hangover is hard enough to manage after an awesome party, let alone after a hard session trying to forget why you were sad in the first place. The hard path means saying no to the temporary relief, with the strength of knowing that you’ll be able to handle tomorrow with a clear head. Curate your world – Now is the time to think about what you’re consuming mentally and how it makes you feel. If your head is being filled with negativity and scary news, you can choose to consume it or not. Turn off the TV and listen to music instead. Curate your social media feed so you stop seeing sensationalised clickbait media. This will be the best thing you can do. If you have toxic or unsupportive relationships, get rid of them.
Fill your cup – This does not mean pouring another schooner. It means choosing the decisions that make you feel good at night, and you know you won’t regret in the morning. The following is a list of decisions that WILL still have you feeling good the next morning: Getting outside and going for a walk/run/ride/swim. Eating something that doesn’t make you feel like crap. Talking to loved ones on the phone Tea instead of red wine. Put your phone away. Read a book before bed - it’s a great way to make the eyelids heavy. Get horizontal at a reasonable time – sleep is good. Leave your alarm set as per usual, jump out of bed and go and make breakfast. Above all else, remember one thing: Life throws curve balls all the time, and we can’t control the pace or the swing of it. But we can still grip onto the bat and throw the kitchen sink at the bitch. www.paintersdomain.com.au 25
Business
USHER GROUP:
Supporting Women In The Industry
By Hollie Faye
I
n the face of a global pandemic, many business owners had to make fast and hard decisions to protect their businesses and the livelihoods of those they employ. But unlike some businesses, Usher Group founder and managing director, Theodore Vairaktaris, found a way to ensure he could repurpose some of his apprentices in a creative manner.
“I thought it was a really good idea during the COVID-19 pandemic to use some of our talented female apprentices to work with and teach how to install art and grow our art crew with females for a change,” Theodore said. After starting his multi-million-dollar business almost 20 years ago, Theodore has been a major advocate for women within the paint and wider trade industry. “It is so awesome to see more girls coming into the industry and seeing the passion they have for their trade,” he said.
By Hollie Harris
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When asked what got them into the industry, First-Year Apprentice Aimee Kernot and Fourth-Year Apprentice Sarah Austin said it was sheer determination to build a career for themselves and gain life skills that could be transferred into any task. “The skills you learn during your apprenticeship can be used a lot through life,” said Aimee. “I am a creative person and wanted to follow a career where I could use that creativity and it’s cool to see what you can create with some paint,” she said. Working alongside Theodore, the girls have gained some invaluable skills that they do not get the opportunity to perfect on a day to day basis. “His passion is insane. We’ve learnt a lot of different techniques that we don’t get to do very often on everyday sites,” said Sarah. “We’ve gotten to perfect our skills a lot more and be a bit more precise and delicate with what we do,” she said. The mural has incorporated a couple of interesting features if you look closely. Within the name of Usher, you will be able to see the faint Gold Coast skyline painted in. This is to pay homage to the city where Usher Group started. Theo has said on multiple occasions that the Gold Coast will always be the home of our headquarters. Also, some of the buildings seen in the background of the artwork are some of the companies most memorable
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projects including our first commercial tower, Victoria Towers and the Star Casino. During their time working on the new Usher Group mural, the apprentices have reflected on what got them into the industry to begin with and whether they have enjoyed it as much as they thought they would. “I always knew I wanted to be a painter; I was brought up around the industry. My pop and dad are very talented and creative painters and I too found the passion for it and pursued it as a career,” said Sarah. “When you first start in the industry you are a little nervous, but then you meet all the boys and they really care and look after you. I’ve never looked back,” said Aimee. Check out the video below to watch the mural come to life. ushergroup.com.au
News
JobKeeper To Stay
R
ecently the Government announced that JobKeeper payments will be extended until March next year. However whilst they have been extended beyond the original end of September cut off there will be some key changes.
Firstly, all businesses currently receiving JobKeeper will need to re-qualify and demonstrate they are still suffering at least a 30% decrease in turnover. The amount that employees receive will be reduced. From October, full time employees will receive $1200 per fortnight and part time employees (working 20hrs per week or less) will
receive $750 per fortnight. It will decrease again from January to $1000 per fortnight for full time employees and $650 per fortnight for part time employees. Full details can be found on the ATO website.
This change will impact businesses greatly in many different ways. Although some may have recovered to less than 30% decrease in turnover, the financial impact will still be significant and the reduction in assistance may lead to some tough budget decisions. Particularly factoring in minimum wage increases that have either just occurred, or will occur on 1 November (depending upon your award).
Business Why Does A Business Need A Professional
Email Address? By Bjorn Spee
U
sing a professional email address for your business with your brand name in it helps you create a professional image and boosts your business’s credibility. Clients judge potential vendors based on whether they use their own domain name, or if they use an email provider like Gmail/Yahoo/Hotmail/etc. While these are perfectly fine to use for personal emails, any business you see using these addresses can come off as very unprofessional. Consumers expect an email and a website domain name to match. When they do not match, it raises unnecessary questions. Is it a professional business? Can the business be trusted? If you take yourself seriously as a small business owner, you need to set up a 30
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customised email address and website. As we all know, first impressions count. We rely mainly on emails to communicate with clients (ie. Email quotes, invoices, and other correspondence). There is also an added risk using free email accounts – you are tying your brand to a thirdparty that you have no control over. Most spam messages are sent from these free email providers like Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, etc. People are cautious of free email addresses, fearing that the business is a scam. In fact, emails from these free providers have a greater chance of ending up in junk or spam folders. Email is such a common and important form of communication; you need to make sure that you present yourself in a professional way. Don’t make a negative first impression of you and your business with something so easy to fix – Let us at LPA help you set up your professional email address and website. If you take yourself seriously as a small business owner, you need to set up a custom email address.
Business
Clayton Coughlan with Josh Frydenburg
Apprentice Incentives
Need To Change By Jo Wilson
E
arlier this year, Editor In Chief, Clayton Coughlan attended a small dinner of 10 to discuss the current crisis facing the painting industry. The guest list included MP Luke Howarth, Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Head of QLD Hoteliers Association Bernie Hogan, amongst others.
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“I wanted to talk to the treasurer about getting funding to help drive apprentices toward the painting industry and keep them there,” Clayton said. The intention of the evening was to present a solution to an increasing problem where around their third or fourth year, after they have learned a lot, many apprentices are getting poached by other businesses and not completing their trade. “There are incentives set up where trade businesses get cash payments when they sign up a new apprentice, then another one about six months after the apprentice starts work and upon completion, but there’s not much incentive for the actual apprentices,” he said. He explained to the group how once young apprentices get that little bit older, their circumstances change. They are trying to establish themselves in life and the need for better pay becomes more important than finishing their apprenticeship. Other companies offer to pay them more, and the industry becomes inundated with qualified brush hands and very few qualified tradesmen. This was something backed up by Bernie Hogan who stated that the Hospitality industry sufferers the exact same thing with apprentice Chefs. “The incentives are fantastic for the employer and if they can keep the apprentice through the whole trade, they get a cash incentive at the end.” “Unfortunately, apprentices are getting lost and the industry is dramatically 32
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suffering with this as there are now so many unqualified workers and not enough qualified trades people.” It was obvious to Clayton that there is very little to keep the apprentice wanting to stay on in their apprenticeship, so he made the proposal to consider an option where the apprentice could get a tax break in their third and fourth years to give them an incentive to stay on, or receive a cash incentive to stay on to finish. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was very open to this idea and was interested in discussing it further, so stay tuned for an update on this discussion. Clayton has also been speaking with Senator Hon. Michaelia Cash, Federal Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, however Covid-19 put the brakes on that discussion. They have all agreed to resume the conversation once some form of normality is restored, so rest assured he will continue the discussion to get a resolution around apprentices.
“Unfortunately, apprentices are getting lost and the industry is dramatically suffering with this.”
Health
DANGER! SUN OVERHEAD!
By Hollie Faye
D
o you remember the Sun Smart campaign “SLIP, SLOP, SLAP.”? Were you from the Sun Smart campaign era “No Hat No Play”? Or was there no awareness around sun exposure in your early years to educate the dangers of sun exposure. In 1981, when the SLIP SLOP SLAP campaign was released, we saw Sid the Seagull dance along to this jingle, with a lisp, on the television. The ad was one the most successful health
campaigns in Australia. The campaign saw a reduction in the two most common causes of Skin Cancer, Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) and Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC). However, the incidence of Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, had increased. Today, although Australians behaviours towards prevention of Skin Cancer has improved, Skin Cancer remains the most diagnosed cancer in Australia with Melanoma sitting at our 3rd most fatal cancer. www.paintersdomain.com.au 33
In Qld alone, 54% adults and 49% children were still sunburnt from hazardous UV radiation according to the Health of Queenslanders report 2018. Melanoma incidence in young people are decreasing due to Sun Prevention Behaviours and Researchers from Qld Inst Medical Research (QIMR) have found daily usage of sunscreen saw a reduction of Solar Keratoses, BCC’s and SCC’s. Therefor wearing sunscreen does reduce statistics of skin cancer. Danger Sun Overhead (DSO) decided to do our own research around attendee’s behaviours towards prevention, when taken through the DSO program. All 34
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"Skin Cancer remains the most diagnosed cancer in Australia."
workshop attendees complete an enrolment form where questions are asked about their behaviour toward sun safety before and after the DSO workshop. With this information, we collate their responses and provide a report to our clients which shows the impact our workshop has had on their employees thinking towards sun exposure. Let us help you strengthen your Sun Safe Policies and behaviours. Book a DSO on-site workshop or enrol in our on-line education courses. Below is an example from one of our recent workshops.
”Are we doing enough prevention against skin cancer?”
dangersunoverhead.org.au
• • • • •
On-Site UV & Heat Stress Education On-Line Education On-Site Skin Checks Merchandise Conference Speaking
Prevention is the Cure!
www.dangersunoverhead.org.au www.paintersdomain.com.au 35
Business
Develop A Winning
Team Culture By Tradies In Business
H
ow well your business runs, relies very much on the team culture that you build. So how do you develop a winning team culture? Simple. Begin at the top! Strong leadership is a critical skill required to lead your team. Create a leadership hierarchy within your team by ensuring each team member understands who to come to with questions or issues and when. Grow your leadership through study and reading books from great leaders. Why does your business exist? Have you shared your mission with your team? Having a strong culture relies on everyone being on board with your business goals. Get your team involved in creating your mission for a shortcut to success in this area. Once they understand the mission, your team needs to understand the rules of the game. These can be clearly written 36
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as company values and shared with everyone. For your mission and rules of the game to be truly owned by your team, there must be 100% inclusion for all team members. Every member of the team is important and should have input to maximise their job performance. To support growth in individual team members, we need to support people to take educated risks. No team can function well if the owner of the business makes all the decisions. Sometimes quick decisions need to be made on the job, so we need to support and empower our team to do so. Finally, all effective teams need an action plan. By clearly defining goals and the steps to get there, your team can measure their progress and you can lead them all to success! By Tradies In Business tradiesinbusiness.com.au
Bar Review
Breakfast Creek Hotel By Clayton Coughlan
T
he Breakfast Creek Hotel or Brekky Creek as its know to the locals is arguably the most famous watering hole in Queensland and possibly Australia for over 120 years. The Breakfast Creek Hotel even featured in the opening line of the Midnight Oils hit song “Dreamworld� The French Renaissance style hotel was built in 1889 by former Lord Mayor of Brisbane, William MacNaughton Galloway. Legend and rumour have it that to this day, that William haunts the hotel as he fell to his death after attempting to jump balconies after being locking in a hotel room upstairs while drunk one night, around 5 years after the hotel opened. In 1900, the hotel was sold to the Brisbane brewery that was known as Perkins & Co, known today as Castlemaine Perkins who remained the owners but subleased the running of the pub for over 80 years. Castlemaine Perkins ownership explains the enormous XXXX beer sign still sits proudly atop of the heritage-listed building today. The pub has seen a few renovations and additions over the years, but none have detracted from the grand www.paintersdomain.com.au 37
architecture if the old girl. One of the most recent renovations saw the pub take over the derelict electrical substation next door and introduced the Substation No41 Rum Bar. I have to be up front and acknowledge that I have always enjoyed heading to the Creek for lunch on a Saturday with mates or after the races at Eagle Farm for dinner, its relaxed character, lush landscaping and outstanding design that boasts stunning timber decks which just ring out tropical queensland beergarden making it a great location to catch up with friends and family to enjoy a meal and drink. If you are in Brisbane and considering heading to the Breakfast Creek Hotel I can tell you there are three things you must partake in to enjoy all the Creek has to offer. Firstly take part in a little slice of Australian history and have a beer off the wood. Legend has it that former Australian Prime minister, Bob Hawke, allegedly played a big part in ensuring that beer continued to be served off the wood at the Brekky Creek after wooden kegs started to be phased out in the late 70’s in favor of new stainless steel kegs. This did not impress the many Whafies who frequented the Brekky Creek. At the time the Former PM Bob Hawke was the President of the ACTU and stepped up raised the issue over the kegs with Castlemaine Perkins’ Managing Director, Paddy Fitzgerald. The rest is history, beer of the wood continued to be served, and the bar was appropriately renamed the Paddy Fitzgerald Bar.
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Secondly, if you are a vegetarian, you are not going to enjoy this much at all. If you, however, enjoy a legendary piece of steak you need head into what looks a little like a traditional butcher shop to check out the full range of mouthwatering steaks in the display cabinet, pick one that you wish to be cooked your way. Then sit back while enjoying a cool drink and wait for your meal to be delivered. For mine you can’t go past the Grass-fed rib fillet from Mandalong Station NSW.... in their own words. Grass-fed goodness! Thirdly, after enjoying your meal, make sure you pop into Substation No 41 Rum Bar. With over 500 rums from more than 50 countries the choice is extensive, but if you are looking for the best of the best Rums be prepared to have deep pockets with a the top premium Rum relieving your bank account of hundreds of dollars for a single shot but the one you can’t go past and at a reasonable price is their own Substation No 41 Rum. With an industrial look décor and welcoming atmosphere, the bar fitout is impressive. The only negative thing I can say about the Brekky Creek is the steaks might be little pricey for some, however its like a paint restoration project, you get what you pay for and I wouldn’t think you will be disappointed with your visit or meal.
Atmosphere Food Drinks Pricing Overall Rating
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