Apprentice of the Year awards 2022 - Winners announced
Each year, we celebrate the great work done by our apprentices by nominating a number of outstanding individuals for the Playford Medal (4th Year Apprentice of the Year). Many of our Playford Medallists have gone on to leadership positions within the organisation and we expect this year's group will go far.
Main picture L-R: Winner 1st Year Meg Wilsdon, Winner 3rd Year Coby Ross, this year's Playford medallist Jack Plummer, Winner 2nd Year Josh Earle and last year's Playford medallist Alanah Barr
4th Year Apprentice of the Year winner Jack Plummer
This year, Jack Plummer from our Murray Bridge depot was awarded the Playford Medal from a field of five excellent nominees.
Picture: Jack was chosen for his understanding of the way safety underpins all that we do at SA Power Networks.
Jack is proactive in contributing to safety discussions and resolving issues quickly. When working out in the field he understands that he is at the frontline of customer interaction and when entering a property for supply restoration, demonstrates that respect for the customer and resolving any issues goes a long way.
Jack has also stepped up to help his depot with the many fast-changing technology improvements which are being rolled out. Jack is considered by his Murray Bridge teammates to be a fantastic team player, who helps others and is always looking for ways to contribute.
Jack was chosen from a strong field of other nominees in 2022:
Shortlisted nominee - Karl Algar (Angle Park – Powerline Transmission)
Shortlisted nominee - Sean Davidson (Wingfield – Powerline Distribution)
Shortlisted nominee - Garth Holmes (Marleston North – Electrical)
Shortlisted nominee - Dave McLean (Angaston – Powerline Distribution)
Other winners
3rd Year apprentice winner
Coby Ross (St Marys – Powerline Distribution)
Coby is a great asset to, and member of the St Mary’s depot. Always thinking about the tasks ahead, his decision-making is on point. Coby is very capable of working through any change with a view to understand, work with and then promote it, providing assistance to those who require it. Coby has volunteered to be the St Mary’s Tough pad Local User Expert. Coby takes safety seriously and is committed to providing a safe workplace for himself and the crews he works with. He is great to work with and is able to communicate at any level. The newer apprentices at the depot look up to Coby and seek him out for mentoring and assisting with all facets of their apprenticeship.
We would also like to acknowledge the other shortlisted nominees:
Sam Castle (Mt Barker – Powerline Distribution)
Isaak Grills (Ceduna – Powerline Distribution)
Scott Lewis (Holden Hill – Powerline Distribution)
Jordan Porteous (Kadina – Powerline Distribution)
Matt Simounds (Marleston North – Electrical)
Marlee Tonkin (Angaston – Powerline Distribution)
2nd Year apprentice winner
Josh Earle (Clare – Powerline Distribution)
Josh demonstrates problem-solving beyond his experience level and is only too keen to try his hand at any new task. Josh shows a high level of maturity, thinking through problems to plan a course of action when completing a job. He proactively sources information from tough books and field drawings to be able to carry out a job. Nothing seems to faze him, meeting adversity with humour and a ‘it could be worse, just look on the bright side’ attitude. He actively seeks, listens to, and takes on board all feedback, seeing even negative feedback as a chance for improvement.
We would also like to acknowledge the other shortlisted nominees:
Jarrad Ashenden (Elizabeth – Powerline Distribution)
Toby Blinman (Port Augusta – Powerline Distribution)
Tegan McComb (Marleston North – Electrical)
Megan Ward (Marleston – Powerline Distribution)
1st Year apprentice winner
Meg Wilsdon (Marleston North – Electrical)
Meg has a great, positive attitude, is self-motivated, mature and has a strong work ethic. Part of Meg’s success to date is due to her excellent communication skills. She listens carefully to instructions, provides feedback and makes her supervisors feel confident about her abilities to perform work of the highest quality. She is fully aware that working efficiently, minimising reworks and not wasting time and materials, has a cascading positive effect on the work group. Even when a job is more complex and challenging, she will take ownership of the job and then has the ability to complete it to a high standard.
We would also like to acknowledge the other shortlisted nominees:
Brady Hoffrichter (Ceduna – Powerline Distribution)
Ty Lynch-Palmer (Enerven Distribution Services – Powerline Distribution)
Ashley Pemberton (Elizabeth – Powerline Distribution)
Travis Schwarz (Angaston – Powerline Distribution)
Brodee Williams (Kingscote – Powerline Distribution)
Michael Wright (Pt Pirie – Powerline Distribution)