It is only very occasionally that anyone will get the opportunity to do something truly inspiring and spectacular at a time that will define a point in history. So, a group of CSS connected people—who were joined with 16 other keen individuals—took on a trek from Kokoda Village on April 15, across the Owen Stanley Ranges and arriving into Owers’ Corner on the outskirts of Port Moresby on mid- morning on April 24.

The following morning, the group of weary but elated trekkers attended the ANZAC Day dawn service at Bomana War Cemetery in Port Moresby. Being a commemoration of the 100-year anniversary of the diggers landing on Gallipoli, it was an honour being there for all concerned.

The trekkers—Phil West (and his sons David and Michael) of The Bolt Place Bundaberg, Jim Holroyd of Jim’s First Hardware in Dunsborough, Chris Waring (and his good mate Ray Allen) of The Bolt Barn in Lismore, Nolan Keen (and his brother-in-law Nathan Koehler) of Dalby General Steel in  Dalby, Andrew Hargreaves from Centenary Power Tools in Brisbane, Fred Hall of DBF Tools & Industrial Supplies of Hoppers Crossing, Jeff Wellard (and his niece Sharon Wellard) of CSS Administration in Melbourne and Iain Brown of Bordo International of Scoresby, along with the other 16 people in the (Adventure Kokoda) AK1501 Trek—all displayed great courage, mental toughness and endurance through extremely trying conditions over the 10-day trek.

Eight days of heavy rain made the going tougher than usual with the rough tracks being turned into a quagmire of high mud, slippery stones, rocks and rotting vegetation. The many river crossings were made even more ‘exciting to take on’ because of the raging waters racing through them. “You certainly find out a lot more about yourself on a trek like this. I mean, you are subjected to physical and mental pressures that take you to the very limit of what you have to give before you find you can— and do—give that little bit more,” says Phil West of Bundaberg.

If there is one thing every industrial tradie or handyman has in common, it is the endless quest for better performance from his or her tools. While ergonomics, innovation, cost and durability also play their part, achieving the industry Holy Grail is as much about finding easier, efficient and more economical ways to complete construction tasks as it is about finding customers willing to pay for the work to be done. For this reason, an increasing number of leading power tool players are pointing to brushless tool technology as the way of the future.

In a brushed motor, electromagnets are attached to a shaft and conventional magnets are permanently fixed to the motor housing. In order to get electricity from the battery pack to the electromagnets (while still allowing it to spin), blocks of carbon, known as brushes, press against a commutator, physically bridging the gap. A brushless motor loses both the brushes and the commutator. Because the electromagnets are stationary, electricity from the battery can be delivered directly and the poles can be alternated with the help of computer circuitry, allowing the tool to adjust according to the task.

In short, this means the brushless tool is smart enough to recognise the difference between driving screws into a soft surface, such as ply, and into a sturdier surface, such as titanium. The first brushless tools only hit the market about three years ago but already their impact is being lauded with key players including DeWalt, Milwaukee, Bosch, Hitachi, Makita and Metabo introducing a range of new brushless drivers, nailers, hammer drills and multi-tool items. DeWalt product category manager Luke Bostock—whose brand has 11 brushless products in its range with more to come in the 2015-16 fiscal  year—says the friction caused by the physical connection creates waste energy and causes problems with heat build-up in brushed motor models. Adding to that inefficiency is the fact brushes wear, requiring ongoing maintenance and eventual replacement. Bostock believes the benefit of brushless technology is threefold as it allows manufacturers to develop smaller tools with more features and power, as well as extending the tool life and run-time per battery charge. While he is unable to reveal his firm’s sales figures on how brushless tools have tracked in recent times, he is certain the category will only go from strength to strength. “We have seen  brushless becoming more and more popular year on year,” Bostock says.

The Garry Rogers Motorsport (GRM) workshop is a buzz of activity (and a whole lot of laughs) on any given day of the week. With up to 40 full-time staff working around the clock every day, it’s all hands on deck to make sure not only their Volvo S60 race cars are ready for the track, but also that they have at least two sets of spare parts to rebuild as required. While most of us get to see the end result of all their hard work on the podium (a massive congratulations to the team on their success so far in 2015), it takes a whole lot of teamwork to ensure the race car is in absolute peak condition. “We are a racing team and like any team, we have many people and departments involved,” says Barry Rogers—who is Garry’s son.

A watertight moral compass has motivated Carl Pimentel to dedicate more than half his life to serving the industrial adhesives sector. Since graduating as an industrial chemist in the early 1990s, the 46-year- old has spent 28 years working with the smell of adhesives, sealants and fillers embedded in his nostrils —spending all but 10 of those for the publicly listed, US-headquartered specialty chemical company, HB Fuller. Pimentel was appointed managing director of the firm’s Australasian arm last August off the back of a six-year stint at Fuller’s South-east Asia and European branches, and admits he finds it difficult to imagine working anywhere else.

“What I really appreciate is that the company has a strong moral compass in the way it does business, and a very high regard for the ethics of the way we conduct ourselves,” he says. “We want to win, we want to be successful, but the way we go about it, in winning the right way, is above all else. For me, that makes it very easy to say that I work here and feel good about working here, which is the reason why I’m still here.”

Bi-metal hole saws were, and still are, a great general purpose hole saw. They will cut wide variety of materials including steel, stainless steel (under proper conditions), aluminium, wood, plastics, fibre cement sheet, and more.

If their families are to be believed, the Wollongbar Alstonville Rugby Club in New South Wales’ Northern Rivers region is to blame. But the truth of the matter is, the paths of 47-year-old Richard Mould and his 51-year-old business partner, Alan Theron, were bound to cross eventually.

Both ex-pat South Africans, successful small-business professionals and Alstonville Plateau property owners, the men’s friendship was sealed when they found themselves on the hunt for new posts after parts of their existing fence lines succumbed to rot courtesy of the rural area’s hard rock shelf and moist soil conditions. Mould says the price of replacement timber fencing was off-putting, but when the pair struggled to find any manufacturer who would provide a guarantee for their product the alarm bells began in earnest.

“The quality was far from what we  expected. Metal posts just didn’t cut it. Acid sulphate soils rapidly rust posts at ground level and eventually requires replacement. Some concrete posts cracked and split when they were hit during installation because they only

He was 19 years old. Mark loved junior football and didn’t want kids to miss out. After his passing, some of Marks friends set up a foundation in his name, with view of raising funds to help disadvantaged kids who couldn’t afford to play football. The foundation raises money and then provides scholarships for these kids in the Geelong region, paying for uniforms, fees and other associated costs for the season they play.

The foundation is pleased to announce that it has completed its 2015 Scholarship Program, awarding over $20,000 in scholarships. For many children and families, difficulties are permanent so the foundation needs to continue raising money to ensure these kids can run around and have a kick with their mates without any worries. To find out more on The Mark West Foundation, to donate individually or to join as a Corporate Supporter, please visit www.tmwf.org.au. You can also keep up to date with everything that is happening at the foundation by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social accounts.