Students from City of Glasgow College, Glasgow Kelvin College and South Lanarkshire College competed in the 2017 Incorporation of Masons Pre-Apprentice Competition in Bricklaying and Plastering last week, which took place in Glasgow Kelvin College.
In the plastering section, students were asked to render a rough wall with two coats of plaster to tight dimensions. It took most of the day to level the wall, set out the area to be plastered, mount the borders and then plaster and finish the wall to a highly smooth standard.
The competition was marked by Phil Inglis of City of Glasgow College and Lewis Anderson of South Lanarkshire College who were both impressed with the accuracy and quality of work by all the students. The winner was Declan Collins of South Lanarkshire College.
Like the Plastering Competition, the Bricklaying Competition was designed to stretch the students’ ability and also show the ability to work to a tight timeline. The judges for this competition were John Weir of City of Glasgow College, Jim Neil a retired Senior Lecturer from Kelvin College and Ian MacPherson of CITB. Once again the marking between students was very close, but the final winner was Matthew Callaghan from South Lanarkshire College.
Craig Bryce, the Past Deacon of the Incorporation of Masons, said; “We are incredibly grateful to the three colleges for organising and judging these competitions, especially when staff are so busy at this time of year ensuring the success of as many students as possible.”
Craig continued; “All the competitors did a marvellous job producing an outstanding level of work and enjoyed seeing their counterparts in action.”
The winners of the competitions will both receive a cheque for £100, a certificate, a golden medal and an invitation to the Deacon’s Choosing Dinner as guests of the Incorporation of Masons.
The Incorporation of Mason’s traditions are rooted in the Trades of Glasgow – having been established to protect the stonemasons and the City of Glasgow from poor workmanship when Glasgow Cathedral was being built – and is not connected to the Freemasons. It presents prizes and an annual bursary to students and makes donations to worthy causes, maintaining its charitable work over the centuries.
