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Tag: tradies

Steeltoes & Stilettos will return to the runway on Friday 18 November at the Hyatt Regency Perth.

The moment we have all been waiting for has arrived! We are excited to announce STEELTOES & STILETTOS will be returning to the runway as we once again bring the risk of asbestos to the big stage.

Asbestos has left a devastating legacy in Western Australia with the highest rates of mesothelioma in the world and the most in-situ asbestos of all states. Asbestos can still be found in 1 in 3 Australian homes and every year in Australia there are an estimated 4,000 deaths from past exposure to the deadly material. This landmark event not only increases awareness within industry, but also spreads the message to the wider community.

Tradies register and raise funds for the opportunity to walk the catwalk with a model at the main event to be held in the heart of Perth’s CBD. There are several runway categories representing different trades including electrical, carpentry, masonry, plumbing and finishes. On the night, the red carpet will be rolled out and guests will enjoy drinks and canapés as the top ten fundraising tradies in each category strut their stuff in the hope of being named this year’s Model Tradie of the Year!

Are you a busines owner?
Do you align with the message of asbestos safety?
Few events offer this kind of brand exposure.
If you would like to see your company name up in lights, contact us to find out more. There are a range of opportunities, and we are happy to tailor a package to suit.

Follow the event on Facebook and Instagram and keep an eye out for more information.

Here are some pics from our last event…

“There remains an ongoing danger to our tradies and everyone working on sites where materials containing asbestos are present. Too many people have the impression that asbestos is a thing of the past, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There needs to be greater awareness and education as to the risks involved. Only through ongoing focus in this area will we truly reduce the impact of asbestos-related deaths in our community.”

Dale Alcock – REFLECTIONS AMBASSADOR, Managing Director ABN Group

Steeltoes & Stilettos – returning to the runway

Align your brand with this unique, building and construction industry event as STEELTOES & STILETTOS returns to the runway on Saturday 21 November 2020.

This unique building and construction industry event brings the risk of asbestos to the big stage when tradies are dobbed-in and sponsored to walk the runway with a model.

With the highest rates of mesothelioma in the world and the most in-situ asbestos of all the states, asbestos has left a devastating legacy in Western Australia. One person dies every 12 hours from mesothelioma in Australia and an estimated 4000 people every year from the effects of asbestos.

We are currently experiencing a third ‘wave’ of sufferers including DIY’ers and tradies. This landmark event not only increases awareness within the building and construction industry, but it also spreads the message to the wider community.

“Master Builders salute the active role that Reflections plays in raising awareness of the potentially fatal risk of dealing with asbestos in the building and construction industry. This event brings the asbestos message to a wider audience and help make young people aware of the terrible outcomes associated with this dangerous substance.”

John Gelavis, Executive Director, Master Builders Association of Western Australia, Reflections’ Ambassador.

Tradies, both male and female, register and raise funds for the opportunity to walk the catwalk with a model at the event. There are several runway categories each representing different trades – Carpentry, Electrical, Masonry, Finishes and Plumbing. On the night, the red carpet will be rolled out and guests will enjoy canapes and drinks as the top ten fundraising tradies in each category ‘strut their stuff’ in the hope of being this year’s Model Tradie of the Year.

There are a number of opportunities for you to be part of this exciting event, including:

  • Sponsorship
  • Donation of products or services
  • Participation at the event – dob-in and sponsor a tradie, and attend on the night.

If you would like to know how you can align your brand with this unique event and, thereby, the message of asbestos safety, contact event manager, Jo Morris.

Save the date – Saturday 21 November – and follow the event on Facebook and Instagram.

STEELTOES & STILETTOS – bringing the risk of asbestos to the big stage

The building industry and community came together in the heart of Northbridge on March 9, 2019, for an evening like no other. Tradies were paired with professional models and strut- their-stuff to help bring awareness to the ongoing risk of asbestos. With the highest rates of mesothelioma in the world and significant amounts of in-situ asbestos in our built environment, asbestos has left a devastating legacy in WA. Raising awareness in the construction industry is crucial, and this landmark event also helped spread the message to the wider community.

Well done to all of the 32 tradies who were brave enough to get out on the catwalk and entertain the crowd. CONGRATULATIONS to our runway winners and runners-up and to our 2019 MODEL TRADIE – MATT ‘BUCKY’ ROGERS.

To everyone who donated to a tradie – thank you! The $28,000 raised by the tradies will be used to reduce the impact of asbestos on our community. WELL DONE TO OUR TOP FUNDRAISING TRADIE, TOM KELLEHER.

Our Major sponsor ANZ Enviro + our Runway Sponsors ABN GroupClipsal by Schneider ElectricSTEEL BLUE Boots, Planet Acoustic & Architecture along with all of our Community sponsors – thank you for your support!

Thank you Coconut Grove Bar for allowing us to transform your venue into a runway. Kai V. Ahlefeld & the talented team from Uberraum…amazing! You turned our vision into a reality! Our fantastic MC’s Carole & Russell – your style and showmanship held everything together – thank you for volunteering your time to the cause. Dene Selby and your gorgeous models who you did an amazing job –  thank you for volunteering your time and talent for the cause.

To all the amazing back-of-house team of volunteers and everyone who stepped up to help bring it all together…judges, makeup, hair, photographers, greeters and so much more. You know who you are – thank you!!

Follow the event on Facebook (@Steeltoes) and Instagram (steeltoes_stilettos) to see our ‘models’ in action. Don’t miss the lead-up to the 2020 STEELTOES & STILETTOS – you’re not going to want to miss the runway action!

Jo Morris speaks with 6PR’s Gareth Parker about the inaugural STEELTOES & STILETTOS

Jo Morris speaks with 6PR’s Gareth Parker about the inaugural Steeltoes & Stilettos to be held 9 March in the heart of Northbridge.

An event bringing the risk of asbestos to the big stage, tradies are dobbed in and sponsored to walk the catwalk with a model on the night. Funds raised by tradies will be used to reduce the impact of asbestos on the community.

For more information or to be involved, visit Steeltoes & Stilettos event website or contact:
Jo Morris | jomo@reflections.org.au | 0407 255 221

Steeltoes & Stilettos

Bringing the risk of asbestos to the big stage. Reflections, in partnership with Master Builders, the Housing Industry Association and ANZ Enviro, are pleased to introduce the inaugural Steeltoes & Stilettos event to be held 9 March 2019.

Dale Alcock & Sandra Tricoli talk about the ongoing risk of asbestos in the built environment and the need for awareness, particularly for tradies & DIY’ers.

Set to become an iconic annual industry event, ‘tradies’ will be matched with models on a catwalk in the heart of the Perth CBD. Steeltoes & Stilettos focuses on raising awareness of the risks of asbestos in our built environment while raising funds for essential medical research into a treatment for the terminal asbestos-related disease, mesothelioma.

With the highest rates of mesothelioma in the world and significant amounts of in-situ asbestos in our built environment, asbestos has left a devastating legacy in WA. Raising awareness in the construction industry is crucial, and this landmark event will also help spread the message to the wider community.

Perth’s building industry leaders – ambassadors to the event.

John Gelavis

“As a supporter of the inaugural Steeltoes & Stilettos event to be held in 2019, Master Builders salute the active role that Reflections Through Reality plays in raising awareness of the fatal risk of dealing with asbestos in the building and construction industry. Events such as these will bring the asbestos message to a wider audience and help make young people aware of the terrible outcomes associated with this dangerous substance.”

John Gelavis, Executive Director Master Builders Association of WA, Reflections Ambassador
Cath Hart

“The risk of exposure to asbestos fibres in the built environment is an issue which will need on going attention by everybody involved in the building industry for decades to come. Steeltoes & Stilettos is a great initiative for the industry to support and HIA is proud to partner with Reflections in raising awareness of the impact of asbestos in the community and the much needed funding required to underpin research into finding a cure for the dreaded mesothelioma disease.”

Cath Hart, Executive Director, Housing Industry Association
Reflections ambassador Dale Alcock

“There remains an ongoing danger to our tradies and everyone working on sites where materials containing asbestos are present. Too many people have the impression that asbestos is a thing of the past, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There needs to be greater awareness and education as to the risks involved. Only through ongoing focus in this area will we truly reduce the impact of asbestos-related deaths in our community.”

Dale Alcock, Managing Director ABN Group, Reflections Ambassador
Michael McLean

“Steeltoes & stilettos won’t protect you from exposure to asbestos, but this event will help us to increase awareness of the dangers. More importantly, raising funds for researchers to find a cure for asbestos-related disease will help save the lives of those who have contracted a life-threatening illness through exposure to asbestos fibres.”

Michael McLean, Reflections Ambassador

The event and how you can be involved.

Tradies (both male and female) will be ‘dobbed-in’ and sponsored to walk the runway with a model. Fundraising will take place in advance of the event, with the top fundraisers of each category being given opportunity to ‘strut-their-stuff’ on the evening. Fabulous prizes will be awarded.

If you would like to the demonstrate your proactive stance in minimising the impact of asbestos, there are a number of opportunities for you to be part of this exciting event…

  • Sponsorship through financial contributions – align your brand with this fun event and the important message of asbestos awareness.
  • Donations of products or services – if your company has a product or service to offer as prizes or gift bag inclusions, we would appreciate your support.
  • Participation at the event – dob-in and sponsor a tradie AND attend on the night.

Step up to play your part.

For more information or to be involved, visit Steeltoes & Stilettos event website or contact:
Jo Morris | jomo@reflections.org.au | 0407 255 221

Asbestos awareness for our tradies

“With the average age of exposure for recorded mesothelioma sufferers being 23 years-of-age, I believe we have a responsibility to ensure those entering the construction industry are informed and empowered to make potentially life-saving decisions.”

Jo Morris

The Construction Training Fund (CTF) hosted a workshop in mid-August 2017 for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and industry stakeholders. Guests included Jo Morris from Reflections, Dale Alcock from the ABN Group and Dr Peter Franklin from UWA. The focus of the workshop was to;

  • Increase awareness of the ongoing risks of asbestos and the relevance to school students, pre-apprentices and apprentices who are entering the construction industry.
  • Discuss with workshop participants the idea of creating a set of standardised resources that can be used by RTOs to deliver asbestos awareness training.

The workshop was the result of months of investigation and consultation by Jo Morris, Reflections’ Operations Manager. Having a son entering a pre-apprenticeship, Jo was interested in what, if any, asbestos awareness training was being taught to the younger generations.

During the workshop, it was highlighted that three in four tradies find it difficult to identify asbestos and new apprentices were not receiving a consistent, relevant education about the risks of asbestos in the workplace.  Although asbestos materials were banned in Australia in 2003, with the large amounts of in-situ asbestos, our tradies and DIY’ers are now at most risk of contracting an asbestos-related disease.

A Curtin University survey of 240 carpenters, painters, plumbers and electricians indicated only small numbers had received training related to asbestos. For example, only 17 per cent of electricians had received any training and 38 per cent reported that they would find it difficult to identify asbestos. Electricians and plumbers are most at risk of exposure to asbestos.

Builder Dale Alcock, whose father died from mesothelioma, said a ban on asbestos products in Australia had created a false comfort that the building industry lacks asbestos. “But that couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said. “We’d like to see a contemporary training module that talks about assessment, identification and correct handling of asbestos.”

Dr Peter Franklin, a senior research fellow in Population and Public Health at the University of WA said asbestos remained abundant in WA. “Asbestos is not going to go away in our lifetime at least, because there is just so much of it,” said Dr Franklin, who spoke at the workshop.

“With the average age of exposure for recorded mesothelioma sufferers being 23 years-of-age, I believe we have a responsibility to ensure those entering the construction industry are informed and empowered to make potentially life-saving decisions,” says Ms Morris.

“With WA’s history of asbestos and the fact that we have the highest rates of asbestos-related disease in the world, there is an opportunity for WA to lead by example. Unlike in the past, we are now in the privileged position of knowing about the dangers of asbestos and have the opportunity to potentially reduce the risk of exposure for our future tradies.

The workshop highlighted the industry’s keenness to adopt a consistent approach to training in asbestos awareness in Western Australia (WA).

In the longer term, the industry would like to see training embedded into the White Card which would ensure all workers would receive the basic asbestos awareness training prior to entering a worksite.

Since the workshop, Jo Morris has worked with the Construction Training Fund and other industry stakeholders to assist CELL media in producing an animated asbestos awareness training video which they donated free of charge after hearing about the workshop.

The CTF was provided with a set of asbestos awareness training resources from the Asbestos Free Tasmania Foundation. The CTF tailored the resources to meet WA’s needs and has offered them to RTOs who deliver construction qualifications to school students, pre-apprentices and apprentices.

Let’s continue to work together in providing education in the most effective way.