St Joseph Affordable Homes Newsletter – Edition 1 2025
Welcome to our first newsletter of 2025!
The Way to St James Cygnet Pilgrimage
The team from St Joseph Affordable Homes were joined by staff from Loreto Community Housing and their Build Up Tassie program to take part in the Way to St James Cygnet as part of the Global Camino.
The local pilgrimage is a 30km trek through the picturesque countryside of southern Tasmania, beginning at the Mountain River Community Hall and finishing at St James’ Church in Cygnet. This year’s local event saw 160 people take part, however, more than 1,000 pilgrims from 30 countries took part in the associated Global Way to St James Pilgrimage on the same weekend.
While the broad theme of the walk is letting go of burdens, it also encourages embracing the beauty of nature, taking a break from the day-to-day, and enjoying comradery and companionship.
The weather this year tested the walkers with extreme heat and rain. We are incredibly proud of our apprentices – Zeke, Max and Amaya – who continued to show amazing team spirit and supported not only each other, but those around them. A special shout out to Zeke who was selected as lead marshal for both days, and to the rest of the team for staying right by his side!
St Joseph Affordable Homes was a proud sponsor of this event and the team pitched in to cook the barbeque for the other pilgrims (which is said to have been the best one yet!).
We encourage our trades, apprentices and industry partners to join us at the next pilgrimage on the 10th and 11th of January 2026. Have a chat to Bella Quinn or contact our team to learn more. While the pilgrimage is organised by the Archdiocese of Hobart, this event is open to anyone who would like to participate.
Working with Vulnerable People Requirements
This is an important message for our contractors and all those working on St Joseph Affordable Homes sites.
Further to previous communications it is important that everyone working on St Joseph Affordable Homes construction sites has a valid Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) card. For those who do not hold a WWVP card we ask that you obtain one as a matter of urgency, and provide us with your name, the card number and expiry date as soon as possible. This is a legislated requirement as we are obliged to adhere to the Child & Youth Safe Organisations legislation.
Trade Milestones
Congratulations to the members of our team who have hit milestones this year!
- Sam Obrien – 4 years as a SJAH Site Supervisor
- Allan Hughes – 3 years as a SJAH Senior Bricklayer
- Dave Bentley – 3 years a SJAH Senior Carpenter
- Jade Thomas – 2 years as a SJAH Senior Painter
And a special mention goes out to Bella Quinn for working for the Archdiocese for six years. Bella has worked closely with St Joseph Affordable Homes since our establishment in 2020. She worked as a Project Manager with Loreto Community Housing (formerly Centacare Evolve Housing) and in their Build Up Tassie program before moving into her current role as Apprentice Manager with St Joseph Affordable Homes.
Apprentice Updates
FIRST APPRENTICES TO QUALIFY
We’re incredibly proud to share that Kwot, Lukas, and Connor — three of our very first apprentices — have officially graduated as qualified tradespeople.
Their journeys began with Build Up Tassie, a program by Loreto Community Housing designed to support young Tasmanians to overcome challenges and barriers to employment. With hard work, determination, and the support Build Up Tassie and St Joseph Affordable Homes, they’ve achieved amazing results.
Connor started with us when he was just 16 years old. Today, he’s thriving in his plumbing career with our industry partner, Vince Plumbing, proving that perseverance and opportunity can transform lives.
Kwot discovered a passion for painting during his time with Build Up Tassie. He has completed his training at TasTAFE and with our St Joseph Affordable Homes painting team, and is ready to take on full-time work while supporting his young family. He is currently working within the Loreto Community Housing maintenance team as a painter.
Lukas engaged with Build Up Tassie and took a leap from the fast food industry to carpentry. He has overcome challenges and now hopes that he can mentor the next generation entering the construction industry. He is also currently working within the Loreto Community Housing team as a maintenance carpenter.
Their success is what our training program is all about—creating pathways, fostering confidence, and changing lives. Congratulations, Kwot, Lukas, and Connor! We can’t wait to see how you continue to grow and inspire others in the construction industry.
We celebrated their graduation with a presentation at Brickworks. We were joined by family, friends, and representatives from St Joseph Affordable Homes, Loreto Community Housing, and the Archdiocese of Hobart including Archbishop Julian Porteous.
NATIONAL APPRENTICE WEEK 2025
We celebrated our apprentices for National Apprenticeship Week on the 10th-16th of February.
At St Joseph Affordable Homes, we’re proud to support 33 apprentices/trainees across 9 different trades, with 24% female representation. Our apprenticeship program isn’t just about skills, it’s about creating life-changing opportunities for young Tasmanians with barriers to employment.
We work with industry partners to host a number of our apprentices in diverse areas and collaborate with Build Up Tassie to provide mentoring, coaching, and wellbeing support. These partnerships ensure every St Joseph Affordable Homes apprentice has the tools they need to succeed.
This National Apprenticeship Week, we are shouting out the dedication and hard work of our apprentices, program graduates, trades, and partners who make this all possible!
APPRENTICE MILESTONES
We congratulate all of our apprentices who have recently reached new milestones in their training.
Congratulations to those who have ticked over to their fourth and final year:
- Iris – Electrical Apprentice
- Charlie – Painting Apprentice
- Will – Tiling Apprentice
And welcome to the second year of your apprenticeship:
- Abi – Electrical Apprentice
- Ali – Electrical Apprentice
- Cedrick – Carpentry Apprentice
- Machlan – Carpentry Apprentice
- Thomas – Carpentry Apprentice
- Shannon – Bricklaying Apprentice
- Patrick – Timber Frame & Truss Manufacture
An Update from Build Up Tassie
Our training partner, Build Up Tassie, is collaborating with St Joseph Affordable Homes to improve training and track competency for apprentices and employees.
MACHINE COMPETENCY – JOINERY
A new sign-off system in the St Joseph Affordable Homes joinery workshop helps track apprentices’ progress with tools. Once they reach the required proficiency, they are officially signed off as competent. This ensures supervisors have a clear understanding of each apprentice’s skill level, allowing for appropriate supervision and further training where needed.
CUSTOM WORKING AT HEIGHTS TRAINING
Build Up Tassie’s Head Coach, Mel, is developing an online Working at Heights training module for site employees. This initiative is designed to provide relevant and up-to-date training tailored to the specific needs of residential construction and is to be completed every two years. Traditional industry-accredited training covers such a broad range of scenarios that it can sometimes fall short in addressing the direct areas of work St Joseph Affordable Homes performs. By developing our own training, we can ensure our staff are trained in site-relevant scenarios that will keep them informed and, most importantly, safe on all of our sites.
Build Up Tassie is an initiative of Loreto Community Housing.
Work Health & Safety
HOUSEKEEPING IN CONSTRUCTION
Good housekeeping isn’t just about cleaning up—it’s about keeping your workplace safe and organised. This means stacking and storing equipment properly, disposing of waste in the right bins, and keeping entryways, exits, and walkways clear of materials and debris.
A tidy worksite makes it easier for everyone to follow safety advice. It’s hard to talk about PPE, working at heights, and other important safety measures if the space around you is messy and disorganised. When we all do our part to keep things neat, we create a safer and more efficient workplace for everyone.
KEEPING EACH OTHER SAFE
Everyone’s Responsibility: Keeping the Workplace Safe
Under WHS regulations, every worker has a responsibility to:
- Look after their own health and safety
- Look out for the safety of those around them
- Follow reasonable instructions, policies, and procedures set by their employer or workplace
Safety is a Team Effort
A safe workplace isn’t just one person’s job—it’s something we all contribute to.
- When everyone plays their part, the whole team stays safe
- Staying alert helps prevent hazards from going unnoticed
- Speaking up about risks builds a strong safety culture
- A safer workplace benefits everyone
By working together, we create a safer and healthier environment for all.
Project Highlight – Lamprill Circle
We’re proud to announce the completion of our latest construction project—40 brand-new homes in Gagebrook built for our partners, Loreto Community Housing. This development will provide much-needed social and affordable housing, offering security and opportunity for individuals and families.
This project was a true team effort, with many of our internal trades, apprentices and contractors working together to play a key role in the build. Their dedication and skill ensured that despite the challenges – including a steeply sloped site and unfortunate delays due to vandalism – we delivered quality homes.
Our Projects
95 homes are currently under construction or are recently completed:
- Elizabeth St, Mangana – 1 dwelling
- Nielsen Esp, Bridgewater – 8 dwellings
- Weilly Pl, Bridgewater – 1 dwelling
- Lamprill Cir, Gagebrook – 40 dwellings
- Home Ave, Blackmans Bay – 7 dwellings
- Acacia St, Huonville – 8 dwellings
- Kent St and View St, Geeveston – 20 dwellings
- Cambridge Rd, Cambridge – 9 dwellings
- Paice St, Bridgewater – 1 dwelling
Future projects:
- McLeod St, New Norfolk – 10 dwellings
- Aquilla St, Glenorchy – 9 dwellings
- Agnes St, Ranelagh – 11 dwellings
- Faraday Street, Ravenswood – 10 dwellings
- Franklin St, Triabunna – 36 dwellings
- George Town Road, Newnham – 49 dwellings
