Thomas Duncan

From childhood until the present day I have accrued significant experience assisting my father in his construction company, working occasionally as a trade assistant/labourer carrying out a range of carpentry-related tasks including:

• Brick laying and stone masonry
• Roofing
• MIG welding
• Mixing and pouring concrete
• Cleaning
• Measuring and cutting timber or steel
• Use of a range of power tools to cut, drill, sand, affix or fabricate.

For four years I served the Church as Parish Priest of Roma and senior adviser to the local Bishop. This role included but was not limited to:

• Leading a large parish and school community (including six additional surrounding communities) providing pastoral care and religious services (Funerals, Baptisms, Weddings, Masses, Last Rites to the sick and dying, teaching, etc).
• Administration of significant land, building and financial assets along with responsible and transparent governance of the temporal goods of the parish.
• The planning and execution of special events such as retreats, guest speaker series, fundraisers and school events.
• Working collaboratively with Diocesan staff, Finance Council, Parish Pastoral Council, Catholic School staff and students, hospital and nursing home staff.
• Travelling hundreds of kilometres each week to provide for smaller rural communities surrounding my parish, including piloting a small aircraft to further-flung communities.

As Assistant Priest I provided religious services at St Patrick's Cathedral, Toowoomba, under the supervision of the Bishop and senior priests. This role involved frequent public speaking before hundreds of people and working collaboratively with a range of clergymen and lay auxiliaries to provide pastoral and spiritual care. Hospital and university chaplaincy also made up a significant part of this role.

As a trade assistant I was responsible for tasks such as:

• The cutting, shaping and application of foam and webbing to timber frames (couches, chairs, various custom pieces of furniture) for upholsterers to apply covers. Manufacturing leather buttons when necessary. Occasional repair jobs on site.
• Upholster seats under supervision.
• Lifting and moving heavy pieces.
• Transport high value luxury furniture from factory to customers.