A story published in the Temora Independent on 8 October, highlighting Temora industrial mechanic Bailey Lowes’ fantastic efforts, winning a Medallion of Excellence at the WorldSkills International Competition in Shanghai, China, has taken a turn for the better. Bailey competed against more than 1,400 peers from more than 60 countries on the world stage in an incredible and challenging three days of competition. Following a review of competition results, WorldSkills International has officially confirmed Bailey's original Medal for Excellence in Industrial Mechanics has been upgraded to Silver, officially placing him second in the world in his skill. Bailey, who started his journey in 2024 at the regional competition at TAFE NSW, was one of 39 of the country’s top apprentices, trainees and young professionals from his industry in the WorldSkills Australia national training squad. A Goldenfields Water employee, Bailey has dedicated years to reaching his extraordinary achievement and being recognised for his outstanding performance against the world's best. On hearing of his upgraded status in the WorldSkills International competition, Bailey thanked his mentor David Baldwin, employer Goldenfields Water and sponsors Motion Australia and TAFE NSW for their support throughout his WorldSkills journey. Bailey’s project consisted of predictive maintenance, pneumatic troubleshooting, lathe and milling operations, welding/fabrication, precision layout, mechanical assembly and pneumatic circuit building, all of which led to the final assembly of a pneumatic-controlled punch machine.
