Cutting straight to carpentry

Daryl, a pace bowler, represented New Zealand in all three forms of the game, but was confronted by the same question as all professional sportspeople: what’s next?

For Daryl, it meant pursuing his passion for construction. With the help of TAFE NSW and his employer Jimmy Waters Carpentry, he’s now an apprentice.

Delivering as a mature-age apprentice

Each week, Daryl learns the theory and hands-on skills of his trade at TAFE NSW surrounded by classmates, many of whom are too young to remember his glory days on the pitch.

“I might be a 40-year-old surrounded by 17 and 18 year olds,” says Daryl, “but I love being back in the classroom and I love bouncing off classmates and seeing how they would do a project differently.”

Back your strengths and give it a shot

“I’ve always loved building, even as a kid with LEGO,” says Daryl. “When I was transitioning out of cricket, we were doing a lot of renovations on our own home. I knew I still had a lot of time left in the workforce and construction felt like such a natural fit.

“I’m learning tons at TAFE NSW and it’s just brilliant. The teachers are extremely helpful and they really seem to care."

A new partnership

Daryl plans to make his life partner into his business partner. He and his interior designer wife plan to form a holistic construction and design business in Albury.

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