One of Churchie’s greatest legacies is the value of its enduring friendships and intergenerational connections.

Over the past year, Old Boys Stuart Waddington (1983) and his son Oskar Waddington (2018) have been supporting fellow Old Boy Simon Schmidt (1986) and his Rural Metal Traders (RMT) business as it develops business processes and practices to service mine-site deconstruction, recycling, and remediation projects.

Recently, Stuart and Oskar have supported Simon and his sons Stirling (2019) and Baxter (2023) as RMT delivers a complex facilities deconstruction and ground remediation project for a listed energy client. This included a couple of weeks for Stuart and Oskar onsite in remote Innamincka, (NE South Australia) providing project management and new processes training for Simon’s team.

Being onsite gave firsthand opportunities to go beyond the ‘city-based’ theory of processes and project delivery by working directly with RMT’s team and their clients.

In another COB connection, David Young (1986), whose son Angus finished in 2021, flew Stuart to Innamincka in a Beechcraft Baron. Stuart says: “What an incredible landscape we covered. Hats off to the early and modern-day explorers who contributed to developing Australia’s prosperity in harsh locations.”

Fair to say everyone gained from the experience, including RMT’s clients who need environment and safety legislation-driven assurance that their well sites are returned to looking as nature intended.

It was also a wonderful opportunity for a bunch of Churchie Old Boys to reminisce over the 40-year span since school, whilst growing the relationship between RMT and Stuart’s business New Arenas.

Above: David Young (1986) and Stuart Waddington (1983)