Motor Trader Dec 18 / Jan 19

one of us reach this height – is something
that makes the whole team proud.”
Jack has travelled an interesting road to
get to the Apprentice of the Year award.
At one time, the automotive industry
was not the industry in which he seemed
destined to carve out a career. Go back a
few years and Jack was studying a degree in
biomedical science before completing his
honours year in a Brisbane laboratory in
the field of stem cell research.
From there to repairing and maintain
cars in a workshop does seem like
something of a leap.
“I had always wanted to do an
apprenticeship but, like many people, I
went to university because that’s what was
expected to get a good job,” said Jack. “But
I knew it wasn’t for me and when I finished
my honours, I went to work at a bicycle
shop and intended to become a bike
mechanic. However, Chandni got a job as
a paramedic in Goondiwindi, so we ended
up moving out there.”
“I DIDN’T THINK I WOULD
WIN. YOU THINK ABOUT IT,
OF COURSE, BUT
CLICK TO
VISIT THE
TWIDALE AUTO
& MOTORCYCLES
WEBSITE
IT NEVER FEELS
LIKE A REALISTIC
EXPECTATION.”
Although always interested in cars, it
wasn’t until Jack reached Goondiwindi and
secured an apprenticeship with Twidale
that a career in automotive became a
reality. And there might not be a better
place to learn the trade than Twidale. With
the company comprised of an automotive
service and repair workshop, a Suzuki and
Kawasaki dealership, and a 4x4 business,
there’s opportunity to work on a wide
range of vehicles, which makes for a pretty
solid grounding for any apprentice.
And Jack made a good impression right
from the start.
"I remember when Jack first came here,
and Ben told him to replace a starter
motor. Jack wanted to know why we were
replacing it and why it had failed. Ben
told him that after they had replaced
the old one, they could pull it apart to
see what had gone wrong,” said Melissa.
“That was great because it showed Jack
wanted to know and understand what
had gone wrong. And that is a valuable
thing because you want apprentices to
understand what you’re doing - you don’t
want them just to be parts fitters.”
Jack’s desire to learn and develop his
skills was part of what made him such an
outstanding apprentice and a pleasure to
work with.
“Jack always gives 100 per cent
and leaves nothing behind,” said Zak
The team from Twidale: Katrina Dunn, Daniel Brewer, Ben Twidale,
Matt Endacott, Melissa Twidale, Jack Goodrich and Dave Dwyer