Michael (Mick) Morel

I bought the Business off my previous Employer Archerfield Rd Welding and changed the name to Jindalee Welding Works P/L and moved into 5,000 square meters of Workshop on Ipswich Rd Darra. After 6 months I changed the name to Steel Structures Australia Pty Ltd. I had 2 sections - One section was doing all of James Hardies demountable building. The other section was doing Structural Steel subcontracting to bigger Shops. I had over 50 people on the books with app 40 on the floor doing 24 hr 6 days per week. Beside welding gear we had Pressbrakes, Guillotines, Bandsaws, Rollforming Machines, Overhead Cranes, Forklifts and much more. We were doing 100% of all James Hardies Buildings apart from the cladding which they done. We had 3 Semitrucks and Trailers for deliveries. I employed Estimators and Managers and Foremen, Leading Hands and QA 9001 implemented with two people running that. I had 2 women doing the Administrative Duties. I still with all else going on was regularly on the floor keeping an eye on things as well as working on the tools regularly. I had more than 6 Apprentices during this time. I was Managing Director at this time. In December 2000 we went into Bankruptcy as a Company named McMasters Construction from Victoria went into liquidation owing us 1.2 million for work completed on 3 projects Edmonton Cairns Police Station extension, Overhead Railway Footbridge at Lawnton and second one at Manly. We never got anything the same as 23 other Contractors that also went broke. I was discharged after 3 years but meantime we started a workshop at North McLean with my wife as Director and I worked on the tools in a large shed until I was discharged from Bankruptcy.

In 2004 we started a new shop named Star Steel Construction Pty Ltd and started working for some of our old Customers. We had a small shop 1,000 m2 but worked it 24/7 at Rocklea and averaged 100 tons a week of Fabricated and Welded Structural Steel for Gay Construction (now Sencova), Idec, Beenleigh Steel Fabrications, Steel Fabrications Australia being our main ones. During this time I also worked on the floor every day as we only had app 12 other men. I would organise all the quotes, ordering, drawings, QA, delivery etc and my wife was responsible for all the checking in line with the QA System.

In 2010 I bought the first Robotic Plasma Coping Machine (PythonX) that could cope any hole/shape of any size on Profiles from 1,200mm Welded beam down to a 50 x 50 Angle and anything in-between. We bought this initially to support our own Fabrication to keep everything inhouse. The shop was too small to put the machine in as well as Fabricate so we leased a new 2,000 m2 Building at 113 Wolston Rd Sumner 4074 and set up the machine there and continued fabricating and welding. After a couple of years other Customers wanted us to process only for them so we changed our name again to Star Steel Processing Pty Ltd and went into just processing. This suited our existing customers as well and was alot easier to manage from my end. Eventually had 3 Plasma Coping Lines, 2 Beamlines with Automatic Drill Changers and cutting from 60mm to 1350mm, 2 Fully automated Flat Bar/Angle Lines doing flatbar up to 610w x 25th and Angle up to 200x20th as well as other Bandsaws up to 900mm and Punch and Shears all of which I was fluent in operating when i needed to. The last 3 years we changed our name to Starcore Pty Ltd

At the end of 2023 we decided on selling up so we sold all of our machines, most went to our existing Customers and one machine remained in situ and the new company that moved into the premises bought it

In the past 30 years I can say that I am fully competent in most areas of Fabricating Steel, Welding by Mig, Stick or Ficaw and confident there isn't much Im not familiar with from the top position of running a company all the way down from quoting, ordering, organising men, teaching apprentices young or old, interpreting drawings, fabricating, welding, cutting with oxy/accetylene, gouging, running and organising a productive lean workshop

Welding and Fabricating Structural Steel and using hand tools, drills, grinders, oxy/accetylene, stick and mig welder, painting etc

Operating Cat D9L putting new Road into Newman from Collinsville also on D9L at Blair Athol coal ripping and pushing out coal in Open Cut Stage 2. Also doing repairs and Servicing with appropriate equipment

Operating D9G on Various jobs on Subdivisions around Brisbane and clearing blocks of land at Pomona of trees, Pushing up 2 large dams by blade at Cecil Plains. Also did all maintenance and repairs on machine with appropriate tools

Concrete Labourer and learned how to finish screeding industrial Floors. Also did all the other associated tasks, setting up boxing, mesh etc and stripping after job finished

Operating D9H Dozers in Gold mine open cut cutting Salvage Batas for alluvial gold to be dug out with Excavators and Dump Trucks. Also Drove Terex and Cat Dump Trucks and was teaching new Operators how to drive Dump Trucks mainly women at that time coming out from Europe on sponsorships. Lived in Single Mens Camp onsite. Also done repairs in the Workshop on Plant

I was operating Cat 657 Twin Power Motor Scrapers working in Tandem stripping overburden also with Cat 637 Twin Powers, Also operated D9G doing Batas and new Haul Roads and Cut and fills. I also worked in the Main Workshop doing repairs with Oxy/Accetylene Air Arc Gouging, Welding Stick and Mig

Operating Dozers Cat D9G and Komatsu 375A and 475A ripping and pushing out product to be loaded onto Dump Trucks for crushing and processing. I Also drove Wabco 3200 Diesel Electric Dumpers for a while. Also spent time in A and B Workshops doing Repairs including Oxy Cutting, Gouging and Welding on different machines. Lived in Single Mens Quarters at Tom Price

Stripping overburden with Caterpillar D9G Dozer for access to Rutile and Zinc to be sent off to be processed. Also drove Cat 769 Dump Trucks and done maintenance on most machines, also worked in Workshop periodically welding and repairing Machinery.Also did all maintenance and repairs on machine with appropriate tools

Operating D9G blade stripping overburden at Mt Windarra Nickel Mine, Pushing Scrapers and operating Cat 631 Open Bowl Scrapers. Also did all maintenance and repairs on machine with appropriate tools. Living onsite in Poon Bros Camp

• Rode horses ringing in cattle, moving cattle to feed areas, dipped cattle for ticks etc, general Ringers work
• Inspected animals regularly to detect illness, injury or disease and provided treatment.
• Completed repairs on board and barbed wire fencing and outdoor enclosures.
• Operated farm equipment such as tractors and trucks with extreme care and precision.