Western News: May 03, 2016

12
Tuesday May 3 2016
our PEOPLE
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WESTERN NEWS
Phillip Mitchell
‘Filthy’ work with pipes and plumbing
AT WORK: Phillip Mitchell has been a plumbing tutor at the Ara Institute
of Canterbury for many years. At 73, he is still going strong working three
days a week. ​
Phillip Mitchell has had his hand in the city’s pipes
for half a century. He talks with Matthew Salmons
about his life as a plumber, being a tutor and
winning the Graeme Victor Smith Outstanding
Contribution to the Industry Award
Well Phillip, you’re clearly
the plumbing master around
here, but why did you decide
to get into the trade in the
first place?
My father went with me to a
vocational guidance counsellor
in the square. The guy that was
interviewing me said ‘I know
a bloke by the name of Athol
Jamieson.’ He knew him on a
fairly friendly basis so I went
and saw him. He had a fairly
large company and said ‘there’s
a job there if you want it.’ I’d
seen plumbers, we’d not long
had the sewerage put on in the
house and a flush toilet put in,
which you guys would take for
granted now. I was fascinated.
So I thought ‘it’s not a bad idea’,
and that’s what it was.
So when did you start your
apprenticeship?
In the days when I did my apprenticeship,
you signed up for
what they called a 12,000 hour
apprenticeship which equates to
six years. In that era, when you
got to your fifth year you could
sit your license and if you passed
your exam you didn’t have to do
your sixth year, so there was a
lot of incentive there. In those
days it was about five pounds a
week which probably equates to,
I don’t know, $200 these days. A
tradesman now could get about
$30 an hour, about $1200 a week,
and an apprentice, well they
probably get more than $200, so
a lot of incentive there to pass. I
spent most of my apprenticeship
under a guy named Bill Walsh,
an Irish plumber, and also with
his brother John. They were
ship’s plumbers, they were fastidious.
If something happened it
was either right or it was wrong.
And after you finished your
apprenticeship did you stay
with the same company?
No, after I finished I left
plumbing for a wee while and I
did quantity surveying. It was a
very good experience and I was
fortunate that I had the trades
experience to do it. It was very
enjoyable.
Did you work on any big
projects?
I did, it was Wilkins and
Davies I was working for at the
time. The buildings at Canterbury
University were being built
then, and we worked on them.
That was straight out of my
apprenticeship, so when I left
that I went to learn about drain
laying. I’ve always enjoyed drain
laying. When you’re doing it, you
feel like you’ve achieved more
than you would working in a
bathroom. I did that for the best
part of a year, then I put the sewerage
into John Walsh’s house.
That was the practical part of
my exam. I started working for a
drain laying firm then, but they
went out of business, so at about
23 I started working for myself.
You knew nothing then, but that
was beside the point because
you thought you did and you had
to get experience the hard way.
So I was working for myself for
a while and I was doing some
tutoring at night. When you’re
tutoring and still in the trades,
to the students, you’re still a
plumber.
Working full time and tutoring
at nights, it must’ve taken a
toll on your social life?
I was young, I was only about
ORGANIC HORTICULTURE COURSES
Instruction in organic horticulture is
now well established at the Lincolnbased
Organic Training College. The
next year-long course, which begins
on 1st August, will be the ninth
intake for the college. Students need
no prior qualifications or experience
to commence Year One and can
study full or part-time. Those who
have some horticultural background
can go straight into Year Two.
An added appeal of the course is that
all fees are under $500, and full time
students are eligible to apply for a
loan or allowance through Studylink.
Course Director Bill Martin says it
works well to start the course year in
the spring. “The organic horticulture
course is all about growing so we
want to start the course in spring
when it is the right time to begin
planting.”
Year One students get plenty of
hands on training in subjects such as
sowing and planting organic crops,
soil management and composting.
The Year Two students have the
option of using land and facilities
on the Biological Husbandry Unit
(BHU) Farm to grow and sell their
own certified produce – a semicommercial
venture that gives
students a real taste of organic
horticulture as a business. The
students grow vegetables under the
guidance of a mentor and sell them
at a weekly stall at Lincoln University
“The Year Two programme gives the
students experience in a commercial
environment without any risk. It’s
the icing on the cake for a lot of the
students here,” says Bill Martin.
As well as the year-long organic
horticulture courses a distance
(correspondence) programme in
organics is also available.
The Organic Training College is
located at the Biological Husbandry
Unit at Lincoln University. There
are 10 hectares of certified organic
land as well as greenhouses, tunnel
houses and research areas.
Students selling their organic produce, Lincoln University.
Organic Training College
Learn from the experts
Start a career in organics.
Reduce your footprint
and produce a regular
supply of your own fruit
and vegetables
Programme Information
college@bhu.org.nz
www.bhu.org.nz | 03 3253684
Courses
• Organic Distance Programme
Part time 1 year, enrol anytime
• Year 1 Introduction to Organics
44 weeks, starts August 2016
(Lincoln Campus)
• Year 2 Applied Organics
46 weeks, starts August 2016
(Lincoln Campus)
All fees under $500