Timo Clunie - Wellington Apprentice Builder
Role: Apprentice Builder
Region: Wellington
Manager: Nick Leko
Growing up on farms, Timo has always enjoyed hands on work. As a child he moved around a lot between Otaki and Paraparaumu, and later moved to Nelson before relocating to the Gold Coast at the age of 14. As a young kiwi boy, rugby was the first of many hobbies he picked up, playing for rep sides and representing a Maori Rugby League team in Australia in the under 19s age group.
Growing up on the farm he enjoyed riding motor bikes and 4-wheel driving and gets his love of driving from his grandfather who was an accomplished rally driver. Timo is named after Timo Makinen, the famous Finnish rally driver. Spending his college years in Australia provided a different choice of classes available to Timo. The classes which stood out the most were the trade classes.
The classes focused on finding areas of trades which students enjoyed and helped push the students in the direction on which they wanted to go. Having his father own a roofing company steered Timo in that direction and he was able to work in the holidays and weekends helping his Dad but also learn a trade at the same time. Unfortunately after an accident he was unable to sustain the business and Timo moved onto labouring and then a refrigeration apprenticeship.
A family emergency called him back to New Zealand and he began studying a fundamental engineering paper followed by an architectural technology diploma. Six months into the diploma he met Nick and Sally who offered him a job at Refresh. He decided within 30 seconds that he would accept and is currently working towards his building apprenticeship.
