The NSW Government’s specialist agency for the restoration and conservation of historic sandstone buildings is looking to hire three apprentice stonemasons to help keep the State’s heritage alive.
Heritage Stoneworks is advertising for new recruits to put a fresh face to one of the world’s oldest professions.
Heritage Stoneworks chief stonemason Paul Thurloe said applications for the three stonemason apprenticeships are open for four weeks.
“Stonemasonry is a craft that has been around since the start of human civilisation and has created some of the world’s most cherished buildings and monuments,” Mr Thurloe said.
“The NSW Government is looking to hire the next generation of stonemasons to restore and preserve some of NSW’s most historic buildings, so they stand the test of time.
“These apprenticeships are a fantastic opportunity to learn the art of stonemasonry from the ground up with some of the best in the business.
“We are looking for people with a passion to restore historic buildings and who like working with their hands. Skills with geometry are also useful for this job.”
Mr Thurloe said Heritage Stoneworks does up to 30 restoration projects a year across the state offering a wide variety of stonemasonry work.
“In NSW we have over 1,300 state-owned properties made from sandstone that require ongoing maintenance, including hospitals, court houses, schools and police stations. We also do other commercial projects,” Mr Thurloe said.
“Recent jobs have included producing a stone coat of arms for Government House and work on Fort Denison. We will also work on the Australian Museum in preparation for the Tutankhamen exhibition next year.
“Stonemasonry today is a highly specialised trade requiring specific skills. As well as traditional hammer and chisel we also use modern technology to scan 3D models.”
Heritage Stoneworks, based at Alexandria, is part of the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment attached to the NSW Government Architect’s office.
Apply for the Apprenctice Stonemason position on the iWorkForNSW website.
