MTA Queensland held its annual Industry Awards Dinner at the Emporium Hotel in Brisbane on November 16. More than 200 guests from across the state were in attendance, including MTA Queensland members, industry stakeholders, corporate partners of the association, political representatives, and friends, family and colleagues of the MTA Queensland Apprentice of the Year nominees.

Hosted by Channel Seven’s Ben Davis, special guests at the Industry Awards Dinner included motorsport superstars Craig Lowndes and Simona De Silvestro, both of whom were interviewed on stage during a Q and A session; the Hon Mark Bailey MP, Minister for Transport and Main Roads; and Fiona Simpson MP, Shadow Minister for Employment and Small Business, Training and Skills Development.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the MTA Queensland awards. These awards recognise the contribution and achievements of individuals and businesses through the Community award, the Innovation award, and the Women In Industry award, as well as acknowledging the incredible effort of outstanding automotive apprentices through the MTA Queensland Apprentice of the Year award.

2019 marks the 90th anniversary of the founding of MTA Queensland – originally named the Garage and Service Station Proprietors Association of Queensland (GASSA) – and Dr Brett Dale, MTA Queensland Group CEO, remarked on the occasion during his opening address, noting the similarities in circumstance that affect the Association and the industry today as they did in 1929.

Back then, the automotive industry in Australia was growing fast (in 1929, one in every 11 Australians owned a motor vehicle – up from one in 55 just a decade earlier) and the establishment of GASSA was a result of this burgeoning transportation revolution. Today, Dr Dale noted, the industry was on the cusp of an equally transformative upheaval – one based on fast-moving technological developments, changing consumer expectations, and the connected and on-demand nature of society – and MTA Queensland was focused, just as it was in its early incarnation, to advocating for the industry and helping businesses to adapt to that disruption.

“The Association has a proud history that was born of a revolution that would change the world forever. That revolution is now changing at a pace never seen before,” said Dr Dale.

“As the peak body for industry, it is our aspiration to bring awareness of this to all our stakeholders. We represent the needs of business and work to ensure the regulatory and trading space are optimised to support the sustainability and prosperity of our members.

“Our industry is essential to every other industry. Without us the economy would not prosper, and the nation would literally come to a standstill. And one thing is certain, we will never again have the luxury of watching markets slowly adapt.

“The transition and change facing us is exponential. We are committed more than ever in supplying a relevant and skilled workforce that will take our industry to new levels and I acknowledge the great effort that our trainers and mentors put in to producing these talented tradespeople. Importantly, behind every great apprentice is a great business who supports them and enables them to be a potential leader of our industry in the future.

“Tonight provides the perfect setting to acknowledge those who are currently making huge contributions to our industry in community leadership, to those trailblazing women who are leading industry, those businesses leading the way on innovation, and our future workforce through the apprentice of the year. We are privileged to celebrate industry’s best tonight.”

THE AWARDS

Celebrating industry’s best is the focus of every annual MTA Queensland Industry Awards Dinner, and the 2019 awards featured some outstanding individuals and businesses as finalists across the four award categories. Through the Community Award and the Innovation Award, MTA Queensland shines a spotlight on the work done by member businesses within the communities they serve and the creative ideas and concepts that are being developed and that aim to advance the industry.

COMMUNITY AWARD

The Community Award finalists were Hertz Mt Isa, Keema Automotive Group of Springwood, and R.H.D Classic Supplies & Service of Aitkenvale.
Hertz Mt Isa was named the winner with owners Alison and Terry Dowling accepting the award from Craig Lowndes.

The Hertz Mt Isa team are renowned for their commitment to their community and the couple support events and activities through sponsorship, volunteering, donations and a variety of other initiatives that is almost too long to list but includes supporting local events such as the annual Camooweal Drovers Festival, the Mount Isa Show, the Boulia Market Day, and the Mount Isa City Council Music Festival. Support of other local small businesses comes through membership of Commerce North West, the bi-annual Minex mining and trade expo, the Buy Local campaign gift cards and Buy Local Support for Local Business television advertising, amongst other initiatives.

Terry and Alison are members of Rotary and active volunteers, giving up their time to support the annual Mount Isa Mines Rodeo, as well as assisting at school fetes, the School of the Air, Lifeflight, RFDS, Mount Isa Multicultural Festival, and the Regional Schools Encouragement Awards. Alison has also volunteered to do historical research for the Mount Isa Rodeo Museum and Hall of Fame projects, and currently volunteers with the Young People Ahead project working to enable young people with a disability to build skills in creative industries.

It’s an exhaustive list of community interactions and it comes as no surprise to learn Alison has been recognised for her work in the community before – she was presented the Customer Service Hero Award Community Sector at the North West Business Awards in 2018.

When accepting the MTA Queensland Community Award, Alison offered generous congratulations to her fellow finalists and reflected on the importance of teamwork both at Hertz Mt Isa and in the community.

“This MTA Queensland award is a wonderful surprise and a most welcome acknowledgement from our peers of our community support work which we do through our small business,” she said.

“We do what we can, when we can, with no expectation of acknowledgement beyond the usual courtesy. ‘Service above self’ – we are both Rotarians and that is our motto – so if we can help our fellow human beings, we will.”

INNOVATION AWARD

The Innovation Award is particularly interesting in this time of industry disruption and there is a vast amount of creative thinking, ambition and hard work going into new concepts and products across the industry. The finalists for this award were Australia Electric Infrastructure Transport, SmartGen, and OZ-DIY Electric Vehicles.

OZ-DIY Electric Vehicle was named the winner with owner Graeme Manietta accepting the award from Kelvin Wiggins of Core SME.

A huge advocate for electric vehicles, and the Chairman of the Queensland branch of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA), Graeme established OZ-DIY Electric Vehicles in 2011 with a mission to recycle old cars into electric vehicles. He started that mission with three Suzuki Swifts destined for the scrapyard and now includes a Model T ford, a VW Kombi, a Datsun 1200, a Suzuki Sierra 4WD and a 2008 Mazda RX8 amongst the many builds he has completed.

OZ-DIY Electric Vehicles also imports the components required for conversions and promotes the concept of owners completing their own builds.
Graeme also has an eye on the future and OZ-DIY offers servicing and repairs on factory EVs and is working on creating and collecting special tools and software with the expectation of the work that will need to be done on these cars in the near future.

Other projects include a ‘module’ as a complete drop-in drive unit for common cars such as the Commodore or Falcon and the OZ-DIY team is also looking at performance modifications, working to increase the range and performance of EVs. OZ-DIY also supports other conversion businesses with components, batteries and technical assistance.

A true advocate for electric vehicles and a man who has seen and been involved in the growth of that sector through his own work and through the AEVA, Graeme pointed out when accepting the Innovation award how different the industry may look within the next decade and how important it was that the industry as whole prepare for the EV revolution.

“Awards like this are very important because they show support for people like us who are trying to make a difference in the world,” said Graeme. “I’d like to thank everyone for this award. It means a lot and I am humbled that we were chosen.

“MTA Queensland are at the forefront of encouraging the uptake of new and emerging technology, and tonight we have heard talk of electric vehicles several times.

“In five years’ time, refuelling, repairing and servicing cars will look very different to how it does today . . . in 10 years’ time, fossil fuel vehicles could well be the exception, not the rule.

“We all need to get ready. That is my belief.”

WOMEN IN INDUSTRY AWARD

A new award for 2019, the Women In Industry accolade was introduced to acknowledge the tremendous contribution women make to an industry that is perceived to be male dominated. However, from new recruits (see the Apprentice of the Year winner) to senior management to business owners to CEOs, women are involved in all levels of the industry and recognising that fact, and encouraging more young women to enter the trades, is the focus of this award.

The finalists for the award were Andrea McCarthy from McCarthy Panel Works in Mackay, Rebecca Frizelle from Frizelle Sunshine Automotive Group in Southport, and Sharine Milne from R.H.D. Classic Supplies & Services in Aitkenvale.

Rebecca Frizelle was named the winner and she accepted the award from Simona De Silvestro.

The name Frizelle is one of the best known and most respected in Australia’s automotive industry and became known after James Frizelle founded the James Frizelle Automotive Group on the Gold Coast in 1985. It would grow to become one of the largest dealership groups in Queensland and today, after joining forces with the Peter Warren Group of Sydney in 2017, is the largest privately owned dealership group in Australia.

Rebecca Frizelle is a key member of the Group. She is a shareholder at Frizelle Sunshine Automotive, chief operating officer of Frizelle Prestige and has been an influential and passionate voice in the industry for much of her nearly 30 years in the industry.

In 2014, the Frizelle Group stood before the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal and was handed a ruling enabling the company to advertise women-only positions on the sales floor. At the time, less than five per cent of the company’s sales and management staff were women. Today, that number is 17 per cent. The plan is for more women to join the industry through a new initiative called Diverse Auto Network Inc (DANi). This will concentrate on providing dealers with the policy frameworks, skills and expertise they require to shift the balance.

While encouraging women to enter the industry is clearly important to her, in accepting the award, Rebecca said that it was about creating a balance and attracting the right talent – something that would ultimately lead to healthier businesses.

“I am a firm believer in the best person for the job,” Rebecca said. “I don’t care if you’re male or female but let’s create conditions where we attract women to our industry where they feel welcomed. It will make us a more profitable, more prosperous, and stronger business.”

APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR

Perhaps the highlight of the evening was the recognition of some brilliant talent via the MTA Queensland Apprentice of the Year Award, presented this year by Leeanne Turner, MTAA Super CEO.

10 apprentices from across the state had been nominated, and the award, and the prize of $2000, went to Kimberley Wallace, a 31-year-old recently qualified parts interpreter who works with Michael and Michelle Morgan at Morgan Motors in Emerald. Dedicated and passionate as an apprentice, Kimberley impressed throughout her training with her great appetite to learn and develop her skills and today, just a few months into her trade career, she has been promoted to assistant manager for parts and accessories.

To say she was surprised to be presented with the Apprentice of the Year award would be something of an understatement.

“I was definitely shocked. I was not expecting it at all!” she said. “I’ve seen the photos of me from the night and showed them to my boss Michael telling him that ‘this is the face of complete and utter shock when they call your name out’!

Kimberley attended the event with her partner Jack, but it wasn’t long before family, friends and work colleagues had heard the news. It made for an interesting return to the office a few days later.
“Everyone knew by Sunday and they were all very excited and happy,” said Kimberley. “Many people have rung up to say congratulations, and Michelle is still telling people about it! Everyone was very proud, as am I. I still can’t believe I actually did it.”

As for the $2000 prize money, with marriage to Jack on the horizon in mid-2020, it’s no surprise that some of it has already found its way to financing that happy day.

“It has paid for a lot of our wedding stuff to be honest,” Kimberley said with a laugh.

With the highly respected Apprentice of the Year accolade now in her possession, the future looks very bright for Kimberley, but she is not resting on her laurels as she looks to charge forward with her career. And with Morgan Motors, she has found herself working with a growing business where opportunities will surely arise.

“I would never have achieved this without Morgan Motors, so I’ll definitely be staying here and will work to keep improving,” she said. “In fact, Morgan Motors has opened a new shop in Rockhampton, and my immediate boss, Caroline, has been spending time up there, which means I have had to step up a bit more here in Emerald. So, there is lots to do and I am learning even more things along the way.”

While Kimberley is still coming to terms somewhat with her achievement, she does recognise its significance and the high regard in which the Apprentice of the Year award is held. And she has some words of advice for apprentices working through their training and eager to start their trade careers.

“We have an apprentice here at the moment who has just stepped into his third year and he is, I believe, a very good candidate for apprentice of the year,” she said. “I said to him that you have to put in 110 per cent and don’t be afraid to just give it a go. And don’t just see finishing your apprenticeship as gaining a piece of paper. It is not. It can take you anywhere, is a fantastic achievement, and you can be recognised for the hard work you put in. So, just try!”

A WORD FROM THE MINISTER

Apprentices and apprenticeships and preparing for a future in which electric and, perhaps, automated vehicles were the norm, were a focus of the address given by the Hon Mark Bailey MP, Minister for Transport and Main Roads. Mr Bailey highlighted that the government was planning out future laws to ensure that automated vehicles operated safely through their life in Australia and that Queensland was a leading jurisdiction in the broad national reforms that aim to create an attractive market for connected and automated vehicles while also ensuring the safety of road users.

“Apprentices are absolutely vital, not just to the automotive trades but right across our economy,” he said. “Queensland is a high achiever when it comes to apprenticeships. We lead the nation with the number of school-based apprentices and trainees and this year Queensland welcomed more than 37,500 new apprentices. That is a real commitment into the future of our economy.”

Commenting on the future of the industry, Mr Bailey added, “Part of being prepared for that change is ensuring apprentices have the skills needed for today and tomorrow and the ability to adapt and change. As a government, we need to ensure we are ready and are moving with that change and facilitating that change to benefit Queensland.”

RAISING FUNDS

While acknowledging the contributions and efforts of apprentices and members of the automotive industry through the MTA Queensland awards was the highlight of the night, another memorable moment was the fundraising auction on behalf of the Youngcare, MTA Queensland’s official charity partner.
Youngcare is a not-for-profit organisation spearheading change to create a future where every young person with high care needs has the choice and dignity to live the lives we all deserve. MTA Queensland is proud to offer its support.

In past years, the Industry Awards Dinner auction has raised as much as $10,000 for the charity, but 2019 produced a bumper result with the final tally reaching $16,250. A splendid result and a testament to both the generosity of those who were bidding, and the rather excellent auction items. Those items included two pieces of racing memorabilia – a framed wheel and a framed rear bumper bar, both signed by Jamie Whincup and Shane Van Gisbergen – which collectively went for $6,600, as well as 750ml bottle of 2008 vintage Penfolds Grange ($2100), 3 nights accommodation at the White Sands Beach House on the Sunshine Coast ($3600), and a Brisbane Lions VIP match day experience ($1500).

All in all it was a fabulous result and MTA Queensland extends its thanks to the generous donation of auction items by I-CAR Australia, Brisbane Broncos, Queensland Cricket, MEGT, Triple Eight Race Engineering, AADA, Emporium Hotel, and Prestige Holiday Homes.

The 2019 MTA Queensland Industry Awards Dinner was a fantastic evening, and the Association thanks our guests, friends and sponsors for making it so memorable. In a time of significant disruption, events such as this reinforce the community of the automotive industry. 2019 was a positive one for the Association in developing those connections and creating new avenues for members and the wider industry. While many challenges remain, the future for those who engage and adapt to this industry disruption is bright.

“I give you our word that if you think 2019 was good for industry it will better in 2020,” said Dr Dale. “Stay with us and watch us help you prosper as a business that is essential to the Queensland and Australian economy.”

See you next year!

Photos from the night can be viewed here.

Source: Motor Trader E-Magazine (Dec 2019/Jan 2020)

17 Dec 2019