Current at: 05 May 2006
One of Tasmania's best known builders, Stuart Wilson, of Wilson Homes, has been made a life member of the Housing Industry Association.
Announcing the award, Tasmanian Regional President James Graham said Mr Wilson has rendered outstanding service to the industry, both in terms of his contribution to the association and through his professional success and ethics reflected in the way he has built Wilson Homes from scratch.
Beginning his career as an apprentice carpenter with AV Jennings, Mr Wilson qualified as a building quantity surveyor and supervisor for the company and in 1986 was promoted to Tasmanian manager.
In 1989 he and his wife, Susan, established Wilson Homes which has grown to be on of the biggest residential building companies in Tasmania, winning numerous HIA awards on the way.
Mr Graham said Wilson Homes has as its ethos 'building with a conscience' and has recently undertaken to build affordable homes for the Tasmanian Government to ensure struggling young families can get a start in life.
"Stuart joined HIA in 1989 and was elected vice chair of the technical committee in 1997," Mr Graham said. "From 1999 to 2003 he was the regional president of Tasmania and during this period served on numerous committees and boards at both state and national level.
"In 2003 he was elected to the HIA's national board, the first Tasmanian to serve at this level. As recently as last March, he was appointed by the Federal Government to its national skills committee, involved in the reform of vocational education throughout Australia."
The award was announced at HIA's Home and Building Expo, in Brisbane.