“It is my pleasure to be an Ambassador for Reflections as the work it does is critical in making people aware of the risks associated with asbestos, promoting further research into the deadly disease mesothelioma and in supporting sufferers. I had the pleasure of knowing Barry Knowles prior to his passing and was inspired by his courage and determination to not only survive the disease but to educate others so they do not have to experience the effects of such a terrible illness.”

John Gelavis has 20 years of experience within the building industry and held numerous sales, marketing, management, operational and strategic leadership roles.

John accepted the role of the Executive Director of the Master Builders Association of WA (MBAWA) in August 2018, prior to which John led the Housing Industry Association Western Australia branch as the Executive Director for six years. John is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and a University of Western Australia graduate.

“Having been involved in the building and construction industry for over 30 years, I have seen firsthand the impact that exposure to asbestos has caused to many good people. I knew Barry Knowles for over three decades and he inspired me to personally get involved in this great cause. I would encourage everyone in the building industry to support Reflections which can make a difference to many people’s lives.”

Michael McLean retired as the Executive Director of the Master Builders Association of WA, a position he held since September 1996, in 2018, but his commitment to Reflections continues.

He was the Association’s Industrial Relations Manager from August 1983, having previously worked for Mt Newman Mining in Port Hedland and the state government. Michael is also a Director on the My Leave, Construction Training Fund and Motivation Foundation boards.

“It is my privilege and pleasure to be an ambassador for Reflections. Having experienced first-hand the scourge of asbestos disease in losing my father to mesothelioma, I am committed to continuing to raise awareness, particularly for the younger generations entering the industry.”

Dale Alcock is a homegrown success story, from bricklayer to leading West Australian home builder. His reputation has become synonymous with quality, excellence and distinction.

Today, the ABN Group operates in Western Australia and Victoria and has built more than 62,000 homes across these two States. It is comprised of 22 companies with more than 1700 employees, 300 apprentices and 1500 contractors.

Dale is an avid believer in the social responsibility of his companies. He provides valuable support to industry training programs and promotes career opportunities within the building industry. In 2006, he established the Alcock Family Foundation, which, over the last 10 years, has donated more than $8.2 million to various worthy causes including medical research, relief work and the environment.

“I’ve known Jo for a few years now and the work she and the team at Reflections are doing to raise awareness for the next-gen of tradies is vitally important. Really happy to do what I can to support the asbestos safety message.”

An electrician by trade, Dan has firsthand experience with asbestos on the job site. Although there was some training during his apprenticeship and earlier time in the Army, Dan found the information was not particularly helpful or accurate.

In 2020 Dan set up Tradie HQ as a co-working space and business incubator for tradies. “Not a week goes by, when someone doesn’t post an image asking, ‘hey guys, is this asbestos?’ in one of the social media groups that I run,” says Dan.

“For sparkies, there are 100,000’s of homes in WA that would still have asbestos switchboard backs along with asbestos-lined walls in their wet areas and their eaves and so on. Yes, we definitely need to continue the education piece.”

In 2020 Dan stepped up (literally) at Steeltoes & Stilettos, strutting his stuff for the cause. The following year, he was our Steeltoes & Stilettos Ambassador and is now onboard as a Reflections Ambassador. Dan is keen to keep asbestos on the agenda as we continue to increase awareness of the ongoing dangers.

“Australia has one of the highest rates of mesothelioma in the world and relentless asbestos use continues in many countries. So, asbestos disease is not going to go away. I believe we have a responsibility to our region to address the catastrophic impact of asbestos use and I fully support the Reflections team in their efforts to raise awareness, support patients and their families, and promote medical research.”

Professor Fraser Brims is a Consultant Respiratory Physician and Head of Department at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Professor at Curtin Medical School. He is chair of the WA Mesothelioma Registry and heads the Occupational and Respiratory Health research group at the Institute for Respiratory Health.

Fraser trained in the UK and moved to WA in 2013. He has longstanding clinical and research interests in occupational and asbestos-related lung diseases, mesothelioma and the detection of early lung cancer using low-dose CT scans. He is clinical lead for the WA Asbestos Review Program, the largest lung cancer early detection program in Australia, and is a Chief Investigator for the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence, the National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases (NCARD).