Technician Shané Meyer
McClure Refinishing, QLD
Shané Meyer is an apprentice who treats every job like a canvas.
Working as an apprentice refinish technician at McClure Refinishing in Townsville, she handles the full spectrum of paint shop tasks - sanding, priming, blocking, colour matching, blending, application, correction and housekeeping - with increasing independence and confidence.
Recently, she completed a full respray from start to finish. She stripped the vehicle, completed minor repairs and prep work, mixed a custom colour based on the client’s concept, applied a metal flake top coat, blocked and flow coated the finish, performed paint correction and refitted the vehicle for handover. It was a complex project that showcased both technical ability and ownership.
Shané is currently working on a custom burnout car bonnet where the owner has specifically requested her to work on it and given her full creative control. A sign of the trust she has earned within the community. She is using this project to push her artistic boundaries, experimenting with various custom paint techniques such as mutant crystal effects, candy colours, flame work, tape stencilling and multi layer custom techniques. Every day, Shané brings a motivated, team focused attitude. She is reliable, punctual and always the first to offer help to technicians at the end of the day to ensure the full team can finish on time.
Her colleagues value her not only forher skill, but also her team work and willingness to go the extra mile.
Shané genuinely loves the trade and takes great pride in transforming damaged or aged vehicles back to near-new condition. She says “We do have a lot of resprays where it’s like a rusty, old car…all the work that gets put in to it and then it comes out brand new - it’s very satisfying to see and know you had a hand in it”. She is heavily motivated by the artistic and technical challenge of refinishing and wishes she had been offered the trade while she was at school working out what she wanted to do.
Alongside her formal apprenticeship training, Shané continually seeks ways to refine her skills and broaden her exposure to the industry. She has completed various in-house training and continues to push herself to try advanced techniques including pearls, tri-layers, custom effects, metal flake, airbrushing and complex resprays. Shané was named MTAQ Apprentice of the Month (Dec 24) and is in the running for MTAQ Apprentice of the Year, a recognition for her work ethic, professionalism and dedication to continual improvement.
She is also an active contributor to the broader collision repair community. Shané has volunteered time to assist the Australian Collision Industry Alliance at career expos and school events, sharing her experiences and encouraging young people, especially young women, to consider a trade career. She attends Women in Automotive events and is becoming a strong advocate for representation in the refinishing industry.
At the workshop, she assists in mentoring work experience students, supporting their introduction to the trade and helping them learn basic skills with patience and enthusiasm. Her ability to connect with younger learners, build their confidence and create a positive first impression of the industry is one of her quiet superpowers! Shané is committed not only to mastering her trade but to uplifting those around her and contributing to the growth of the industry as a whole.
From the day she applied with us, Shané has shown a maturity, clear purpose and attitude far beyond her years. She has proven to be one of the most reliable and dedicated apprentices we have ever employed. She has quickly earned the respect of senior technicians because of the attitude, consistency and initiative that every tradesperson admires.
Shané brings a magic combination of precision, creativity, resilience and humility. She is the type of apprentice who listens, applies feedback and pushes herself to improve every day. Even when she doubts herself, she trusts her team, gives it her best effort and appreciates mistakes as learning opportunities.
Her enthusiasm is infectious and she lifts the standards of those around her simply by showing what is possible and when passion meets opportunity. Shané is only at the beginning of her career yet she already demonstrates the mindset, leadership potential and personal character of someone destined to be a future leader in the industry