What started as a childhood passion for all things fast has led to Dane Mckay in the fast lane to long-term success as a mechanic.
His love for the auto world went up a gear in high school, however, when he began to seriously consider working on vehicles full-time.
“Through school, I was always tinkering with motorbikes and other stuff. My uncle is a diesel mechanic as well, so I thought I’d get into it,” the 22-year-old said.
On a roll
Dane first got connected to his apprenticeship through the Clontarf Foundation – a non-for-profit which helps equip Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander men with the tools to complete school and beyond.
From there, Dane was able to secure employment at Veolia’s Wetherill Park depot. For his apprenticeship, Dane said he decided on Apprenticeships Are Us over others because of their tailor-made approach to helping his studies.
“Apprenticeships Are Us said they could come to me, so I went with them,” he said.
“I saw them at Parramatta and they were really helpful, they sat me down and explained everything pretty thoroughly. The classes were really small at the start so I got a lot of one-on-one time.
“Now I’m even helping out more of their apprentices because there’s three mechanics and four apprentices, I’m helping show them the ropes.”
Apprenticeships Are Us is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to empowering automotive apprentices across Australia. Its mission is to ensure that aspiring automotive professionals can pursue their dreams, regardless of financial or socio-economic background, education level, or other social disadvantages.
The organisation provides comprehensive support to apprentices, including the provision of proper PPE (personal protective equipment), training in employability and life skills, and on-the-job support.
Driven for more
Dane completed his apprenticeship in Cert III in Heavy Diesel Mechanics in 2023. Since then, he’s been getting to grips as a part of Veolia’s repair crew at Wetherill Park.
“We repair things like all the suspension brakes and a bit of engine maintenance
as well. It’s mostly repair work,” he said.
“I do work with garbage trucks so it can smell sometimes, but the pay’s pretty decent.
“Two weeks per month I’m on-call which is really good work.”
Dane’s eager to take his heavy machinery talents to the Outback soon, however, with plans to work at a mine.
“I’d love to get into restoring old cars or working on trucks as a mobile mechanic at some point. [But] In the next year or so, I’d love to head to a mine and save money for a house.
“If I did three years doing my work at a mine I’d have enough to buy a house.”
When he’s not on the tools, Dane can still be caught playing with his own rides.
Whether it’s taking out the bikes (road and dirt), or even a bit of drifting, Dane’s an adrenaline junky through and through.
“It definitely helps knowing what to do with fixing cars and bikes yourself, rather than paying someone else that’s for sure,” Dane added.