Page 124 - Australasian Paint & Panel magazine Nov-Dec 2021

124
BEST PRACTICE AWARDS
PAINT&PANEL NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021 WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
RISING STAR
ALBERT BENNETT
SPONSORED BY
ALBERT BENNETT IS THE THIRD GENERATION AT BERT BENNETT PANEL CENTRE IN WA. HIS CAREER HAS GOT OFF TO A FLYING START.
LBERT HAS GROWN UP WITH
cars and tools and his focus on attention to detail is out- standing. Albert is a first-year apprentice panel tech who started out in February 2021. His role includes dis- assembling and assembling of automotive vehicles, maintaining a safe and clean working environment, and reading and understanding assembly instructions. Al- bert shows interest in the management side of the family business and is learning
how to quote vehicles for repair.
Albert is achieving well beyond the
expectations of a first-year apprentice. As an eighteen-year-old who completed year 12 in 2020, Albert has advanced from repairing small dents to repairing and replacing beaver panels and turrets. He is also adept at removing and replac- ing radiator support panels and the re- quired removal and replacement of ra- diators, condensers and surrounding parts. He is also experienced in replac- ing quarter panels and sides.
Albert is showing great aptitude for his trade, following in the footsteps of his fa- ther and grandfather, as the third genera- tion Albert Bennett currently working in the business. The family association with vehicles stretches back a long way. Al- bert’s grandfather, Albert, established the business in the 1960s, his great- grandfather, Albert, worked on vehicles for the Australian army in Papua New Guinea in the 1940s and his great-great- grandfather, also Albert, hand-painted ornate art lines on coaches.
Studying panel beating at South Met- ropolitan TAFE at the Carlisle campus,
Albert Bennett third generation panel technician.
Albert has the opportunity to attend WA’s major centre for automotive and panel beating studies.
Albert has a keen interest in technolo- gy and uses any spare money to upgrade his toolbox. He is curious about electric vehicles and advances in battery technol- ogy. He is interested in the changes for repairers as car makers increasingly in- vest in electric cars. He is using the Car- O-Liner Evo 3 bench with online measur- ing. Albert has a particular interest in calibrating and aiming advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) including aiming cameras and checking for diag- nostic trouble codes, as there is increas- ing need for technical expertise with scan tools following repairs.
Outside of work hours, Albert works to restore VL Commodores, having complet- ed five out of seven vehicles so far. He is interested in restoring them back to origi-
nal factory condition, without rust and with all the accessories listed on the build sheet. Lifting the carpet reveals the speci- fication sheet from the factory. Rust around both windscreens and in the quar- ter panels requires slow methodical work, along with straightening out the metal damage and getting rid of old accumulat- ed filler. It is also necessary to make up rust panels with folding and bending ma- chines. Restoration requires cleaning and refurbishing original parts, sourcing miss- ing parts, and painting back to original colour. These car restorations are labour intensive, but provide excellent opportu- nity for skills development.
Albert is also interested in woodwork and has a lathe for woodturning at home where he enjoys problem solving to craft pieces to showcase nature. He also at- tends gym after work most afternoons with his friends.
A