Western Australian spray painting apprentice Sam Ray-Hills has taken out this year's PPG Industries colour matching competition.
Ray-Hills, who works for McCarthy Panel and Paint in the Perth suburb of Claremont, beat finalists from all other States and Territories to win the first place.
Second place when to Tasmanian entrant Jackson Healy who works for Schorta Body Works at Cambridge with ACT entrant Daniel Rowell who works for Gemini Accident Repair Center, Fyshwick taking third.
The other finalists in the competition were:
NSW - Nick Assiouras - GT Body Repairs, Kingsgrove;
NT - Andrew Willoughby - P & V Panel Works, Alice Springs;
QLD - Troy Swift - CF & B McDonald Smash, Sandgate;
SA - Nick Giffney - Brighton Crash Repairs; and
VIC - Paul Jarczak - Van Breen Panels, Dandenong.
The competition is a partnership between the TAFE organisations and long-time sponsor, PPG Industries, and has now been running for more than a decade as a means of promoting the art of colour matching amongst apprentices.
Preliminary state-based competitions allow a large number of spray painting apprentices to test themselves against their peers.
The winners earn the right to represent their state or territory at national level. This year the eight finalists gathered for the main event, held at PPG's state-of-the-art Victorian Training Centre in the Braeside suburb of Melbourne.
For the competition, contestants were given 60 minutes to match a solid colour and, after a break, 60 minutes to match a metallic/pearl colour. Each was provided with an identical workstation, including all equipment and tinters necessary to match the colour, to ensure that individual skill was the deciding factor. Two judges, PPG's colour auditor, Manny Grillo and Carlos Nunes from Canberra Institute of Technology, assessed competitors for safety, cleanliness and work practices and, of course, colour matching.
Afterwards, the contestants enjoyed a tour of PPG's Clayton manufacturing plant before attending the presentation lunch, where the top three places were announced.
In taking out first place, Ray-Hills won a $2,000 travel voucher, SATA Vision 2000 Air-hood and a Mirka Orbital Sander, while Healy won a $1,000 Harvey Norman voucher and a Mirka Orbital Sander and Rowell won a $250 Myer Grace Bros voucher and a Mirka Orbital Sander.
All contestants received a participation certificate and plague. All contestants and teachers received a showbag of goodies.