Bradley Thorley, National Ulysses Motorcycle Apprentice of the Year winner, with Ulysses Club National President Henry Rokx (left) and National Committee member Robert Hunt (right)
The national Ulysses Motorcycle Apprentice of the Year award has returned after a one-year, COVID-related hiatus, and Bradley Thorley, a 24-year-old motorcycle mechanic with Mini Motor Service in Chinchilla, has been named as the latest winner of the prestigious accolade.
The award, presented by the Ulysses Motorcycle Club, was introduced in 2004 to ‘encourage and promote the youth in pursuing a career in the motorcycle industry’, and recognises the achievements of an outstanding motorcycle apprentice in the fourth year of their training.
Bradley actually completed his qualification with the MTA Institute in early 2021 but was included for consideration for this year’s award as a result of last year’s COVID pause. On the road to becoming the national winner, he also picked up the Ulysses Queensland/NT regional award.
To claim the top award, finalists must go through an interview process with a Ulysses Club adjudicator who grills them with technical questions to determine their knowledge and skills. Adjudicators then combine the finalists’ interview performance with other elements – including submissions from, and conversations with, their employers and trainers – to whittle the shortlist down to one winning name.
It’s a process that can take some time and when the phone call came to tell him he had been chosen as apprentice of the year, it was, said Bradley, a real shock.
“Disbelief. I just didn’t believe it to start with,” he said. “I didn’t hear from them for a while, and I sort of assumed I didn’t get anywhere. Then I got the call, and it was a complete surprise. A great surprise though!”
According to Ulysses Club adjudicator and automotive trainer Mark Paynter it was a year of extremely strong finalists, and while Bradley was an outstanding and deserving winner, it was the slimmest of margins that separated
him from his rivals.
“We had regional winners in Queensland/NT, NSW/ACT, Victoria/Tasmania, and South Australia/Western Australia, and I can tell you that it was very tight, and the decision was difficult,” said Mark.
Bradley was guided through his apprenticeship by experienced MTA Institute trainer Zak Zuiderduin, who was clear in his assessment that Bradley was a worthy winner.
“He’s one of those guys that is passionate about the trade and always goes the extra mile to make sure things are done properly,” said Zak. “His study and research skills are also at the highest level, and he has a natural ability when it comes to attending to customers as well as working with other staff. This is very well deserved.”
A long-time motorcycle enthusiast who started riding while at high school, Bradley set his sights early on becoming a motorcycle mechanic and got a spot on the team at Mini Motor Service some six years ago. As well as services for motorcycles, the business offers sales, parts and services for small engines, and Bradley initially completed an apprenticeship in Outdoor Power Equipment. That was, he said, very useful for his subsequent motorcycle training.
“I always wanted to do the motorcycle trade but training on small motors did give me more of an understanding of things, and we do everything here – from mowers to chainsaws,” said Bradley. “Now, I work across all of that, including managing the workshop, so it has worked out well.”
Mini Motors has been servicing the Chinchilla community for more than 50 years, the past 18 of those under the guidance of owner Steven Hammermeister. It was great, said Steven, to see Bradley recognised for his consistently excellent performance as an apprentice.
“Brad really didn’t do anything extra to try and win,” said Steven. “He just did what he does, and that is to work hard. He was always on top of his work and all his theory, and he just really put his mind to it.
“To take out the Queensland/NT regional award and then the national award is huge. We have had people coming into the shop to congratulate him, and the general congratulations from the community has been really nice.”
Mini Motor Service is clearly a good place to learn the motorcycle and small motors trades, and amongst the six staff currently in the workshop there are two apprentices – a mature-aged apprentice and a young female school-based apprentice – with another school-based apprentice soon to start.
“It’s all happening,” said Steven. “It’s a fun shop, we are pretty diverse, and we try and laugh a little bit as we work.”
For Bradley, the end of his Ulysses award award journey came at the beginning of April when he was presented with a trophy and other prizes by the Club at its national rally in Warwick.
Beyond the prizes, however, is the knowledge that not only has he has been recognised for the hard work it takes to successfully complete an apprenticeship, but that the Ulysses Motorcycle Apprentice of the Year is well regarded in the industry and will be a looked upon favourably as his career progresses.
“It is a great to have the feeling of being appreciated, and I know that this is a great opportunity that I have been given,” said Bradley. “I am very grateful to have been given it.”
Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (April 2022)
18 April 2022
