Company News

October is National Safe Work Month— a time to commit to building a safe and healthy workplace.

During October each year, we ask our workers to commit to safe and healthy workplaces for all.

Being healthy and safe means being free from physical and psychological harm. No job should be unsafe and no death or injury is acceptable. A safe and healthy workplace benefits everyone.

The theme for National Safe Work Month this year is

think safe. work safe. be safe.

Think Safe – the first step to thinking about workplace health and safety; plan, identify risks and maintain healthy and safe work places.

Work Safe – the implementation of work health and safety measures is the next vital step to manage the risks and includes the practical steps you can take to reduce risk and avoid workplace incidents.

Be Safe – Consider your actions at work, being safe is the ongoing process of managing and monitoring work health and safety risks. It’s not a one off, it’s every day.

To learn more about National Safe Work Month and Safe Work Australia, please visit their website. 

This week we welcomed our seventh employee to our 20 Years of Service Club – our Asset and Logistics Supervisor, Todd Wallrodt!

Working ‘behind the scenes’, Todd always has his eye on the big picture, making things happen. Todd works diligently to assist all departments and displays great initiative and problem solving, providing safe, efficient, and cost-effective solutions.

On behalf of the team, congratulations and thank you, Todd!

Perkins Builders are extremely proud to have taken home a number of awards at the Master Builders Association of Western Australia South West Building Excellence Awards held on Friday 3rd September at the Lighthouse Hotel in Bunbury. Each award is testament to the hard work and dedication of our teams, our valued subcontractors and suppliers.

Our Bunbury Senior High School Cafeteria project was awarded Best Education Building $1.5M-$5M. Built on elevated on raking columns to meet the existing quadrangle, the innovative design sees the new Cafeteria overlook the ocean and school oval, featuring a full commercial kitchen and providing a safe place for students to purchase and enjoy their lunch. Additional works included the demolition of the old canteen and redevelopment of the quadrangle.

The Western Power Pinjarra Depot was awarded with Best Office Building $10M-$20M. Designed and constructed by Perkins Builders, the purpose-built facility allows Western Power to provide t​he same high-quality service, delivery, and response times for Peel customers, while being able to meet future demands for the growing region. The facility improved employee safety through a more operationally efficient design and is powered with renewable energy. Officially opened in November 2020, the depot forms a part of Western Power’s depot modernisation program.

Perkins would like to once again thank our valued clients, subcontractors, suppliers, consultants, and of course the Perkins team; the outstanding result is testament to the collaborative effort of all involved.

And finally, we were awarded Employer Trainer of the Year – Commercial at the 2021 South West Building Excellence Awards by Master Builders Association of WA. This award recognises all aspects of our employee training and development programs, from apprenticeships and traineeships to internal training program, ongoing professional development and external training and education. Perkins Builders have always demonstrated our commitment to training the next generation of builders and developing both the industry specific and overall workplace skills of our entire team. This award is a testament to our dedication to be an employer of choice and a fantastic acknowledgement of our comprehensive training and development programs.

Did you know that every year, 190 Australians working in the construction industry take their own lives? Or that construction workers are six times more likely to die from suicide than an accident at work?

As one of Western Australia’s largest regional builders, we understand more than most what it is to be an important component of a network in which staff, subcontractors and suppliers are all part of the broader community. We believe our people are and always will be our greatest asset, which is why we choose to invest in their future, their health, their safety and their wellbeing through a number of different programs; it’s why we have chosen to partner with MATES in Construction.

Mates in Construction is a charity who aims to reduce the high level of suicide among Australian Construction Workers. The MATES program is based on the simple idea that suicide is everyone’s business. If the building and construction industry in Australia is to improve the mental health and well-being of workers and reduce suicide, then it cannot be left to mental health professionals: everyone in the industry must play their part.

This partnership with Mates is a natural progression of our long time support of the fantastic role that Mates in Construction undertakes on behalf of all in the industry and reflects the importance Perkins places on the health of all in the construction community.

On Thursday 26th August, we farewelled our Finance Officer Sharron Davies as she ventured off into Retirement. Sharron (or Shaz as she is affectionately known) has been a core member of our Finance Team for 15 years and whilst many things have changed in those years, Shaz has been a constant in the Finance Team providing support to many across the Perkins Group. She has always been a great supporter of our team building and social events and has been a fantastic mentor to our new employees.

Thank you, Shaz for your dedication and hard work – we wish you the very best on your next adventure into retirement!

On Friday 9th July, Perkins Builders celebrated the retirement of two of our longest serving Site Managers, Pete Leaman and Colin Westbrook.

Pete and Colin have collectively overseen so many interesting and varied projects over their 25 and 20 years of service respectively;  including projects such as the Bunbury Civic Centre, Bunbury Forum Redevelopment, the Donnybrook Town Centre Redevelopment and Armstrong Village Aged Care Facility.

Perkins would like to recognise and thank both Pete and Colin for their hard work, dedication and loyalty and wish them both the very best in their retirement.

This year, we have a very special milestone to celebrate with one of our South West team; our Site Manager, Pete Leaman is celebrating an amazing 25 Years of Service with Perkins Builders!

Pete began working with us a contractor, before officially joining the team in 1996. During his time with Perkins, Pete has managed a vast array of award-winning projects, including  the Busselton Homemaker Centre, the Bunbury Forum Redevelopment, Retravision Bunbury, Woolworths Meatworks, Australind Shopping Centre Redevelopment, Hocart Lodge Aged Care Facility, Donnybrook IGA and the Perkins Head Office Building in Bunbury, just to name a few!

Congratulations Pete and thank you for all your hard work and dedication to the business over the years!

The Bushfire Centre of Excellence has reached PC! Marking a new era in bushfire management, the Karla Katitjin (meaning ‘fire knowledge’ in Noongar language) facility was officially opened by Premier Mark McGowan and Emergency Services Minister Francis Logan on Monday.

Proudly constructed by Perkins Builders, this new, purpose-built facility will bring together volunteer and career firefighters, bushfire practitioners, traditional land owners, researchers and scientists to share their bushfire management knowledge, skills and practices.

With an outstanding safety performance testament to the collaborative effort of all involved, Perkins would like to extend our sincere thanks to Department of Fire and Emergency Services, Department of Finance, SITE Architecture Studio, Shire of Murray and of course our valued subcontractors and suppliers.

Congratulations and thank you once again to everyone involved on this fantastic project.

Photos courtesy of Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

2020 has been a year of adversity; from bushfires to pandemics, lockdowns and restrictions on industry. If the year has taught us anything, it is that with a team mindset, hard work and determination we can overcome the challenges. It is for this reason we should look back at 2020 and celebrate our achievements.

At Perkins, our team has fundraised for bushfire stricken communities, adapted to new COVID safe work practices and continued to deliver an exceptional standard on all our of projects across WA.

We would like to thank our valued Clients, subcontractors, suppliers and of course, our dedicated team for their support over the year.

Our offices will be closed from COB today until January 4th for a well-deserved break.

From the Perkins Builders family to yours, we wish you a safe and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Last week we celebrated the official start of the Donnybrook Town Centre Revitalisation project with a turning of the sod ceremony, attended by Mick Murray, representatives from the Shire of Donnybrook Balingup and MCG Architects.

This great project in the heart of the South West will breathe new life into the heritage listed Donnybrook Goods Shed and create a showcase of the region’s heritage and connect both sides of the iconic railway precinct.

We look forward to sharing the progress of this exciting project.