The 2014 Macintyre High School graduate has received the Australian Vocation Student Award after completing a Primary Industries certificate and a VET in school automotive apprenticeship and certificate.

Macintyre principal Lindsay Paul said they nominated James for the prestigious award and $1000 prize last year. 

The graduate felt pleased to have the recognition.

“It was good. It is good to get a pat on the back every now and then,” James said. 

He was committed to school-based training with Inverell Truck and Diesel Repairs for two years before coming on as a full-time employee after graduation. 

James stood among the line of massive prime movers and livestock trucks with the guttural rumble of engines around him, and looked quite at home.

Inverell Truck and Diesel Repairs owner Bill Burnett said James is in his second year of the apprenticeship, and did not seem overly-eager to let the young mechanic go. James felt it was more satisfying being on the job each day because he can follow through a job.

“You stick with things. There’s lot of jobs that take more than one day,” he said.  James was aware he was only at the beginning of the road to the vocation. A lot of stuff you can, especially the computers and that; they take a bit of handling sometimes,” he said.

“There’s a hell of a lot to learn.”

Bill said James has made a few sounds about heading back into agriculture, but Bill hoped weather might intervene.

“It’s going to be a drought when he’s ready to go anyhow, so they won’t have him back,” he said with a smile.

“So he’ll have to hang around.”