Mark Thistlewhite is just as familiar with a filleting knife as with a spanner. The 34-year-old Tullamarine resident spent the first 26 years of his working life as a chef in some of the UK’s top restaurants. But a day on the job now is a far cry from the world of Michelin stars and starched white napkins.
The father of two had a change of heart about two years ago and began a plumbing apprenticeship.
“I’ve never looked back,” he said during World Plumbing Day last week.
The special day champions the role plumbers play in sustainability and water conservation.
Mr Thistlewhite is not alone as a ‘mature-age’ plumbing rookie; 17 per cent of Victoria’s plumbing apprentices last year were 25 or older.
