Quelly Bacatan
Welder
So Quelly, apparently you are a class 1 welder. Does that just mean you are the best or what?
It means that I can read drawings and weld things that are going to be certified or structural. In 1999 I did my Cert 2 in Engineering (welding). It was six months spent at the Painting Industry Skills and Technology Centre in Perth. Time flies!
I know a lot of women who love the idea of learning to weld. Where can it take you?
There are so many career avenues. You could become a fitter and turner, a mechanical engineer, a machinist, metal fabricator etc. There’s also related work in plumbing with a particular type of welding called braising – working with copper and brass, bending tubes and so on. It’s good to have a think in advance about where you want to take welding. That will dictate which form you go for. Also remember, once you leave school and go into the real world, to maintain and refresh your skills. You won’t necessarily use every single one of the techniques you learnt at school, so it’s up to you to stay on top of that, keep learning, and really understand the behavioural science of individual metals! You can travel the world as a welder or metal fabricator. It’s a universal trade. There is lots of work in the arts too.
I saw this video of a young girl welding online – her dad is a welder and he was teaching her. I’m going to say she was 6 years old. Do you think that’s a good age to start?
6!? Oof… I would say early on in high school is a good age to start welding. At high school I was keen on one subject in particular; mechanics – but that same year they actually cancelled the subject. I was devastated. I ended up doing woodwork instead.
Metalwork came into my life after school. And in a kind of special way. In the newspaper, there was an advertisement looking for women to learn welding, and it didn’t matter what age. It was a government funded project. I was on centrelink at the time and it really appealed to me. The manager of the school, an ex-oil rig worker, Graham, had this theory that he was hell bent on proving – that women would make better welders.
"It was daunting. I was 19. There were over 400 workers on that site and only one girl, and that was me..."
Have you been in touch with him since?
No unfortunately. He was a really nice guy and so inspiring. Then I was soooo busy after my course. It took over my life. I ate and slept welding. It was a whole new ball game for me and with responsibility I hadn’t known before. I remember at the time I was making parts for a ship that was going offshore.
My first job after that was as a trades assistant. And it was an apprenticeship in a sense. Norman was an engineer who serviced the machinery at BOC gases at Subiaco. He had rung the school and said he needed a welder, and Graham was like “I’ve got one for you”, and drove me over there that day – the day I finished school.
Oh my god. Graham changed your life. He may read this story and realise!
I hope so! That would be great! I hope he’s still kicking around!
Was the responsibility good for you?
It was daunting. I was 19. There were over 400 workers on that site and only one girl, and that was me…at least I had my own toilet!
So 20 years later you’ve managed jobs and teams. Does the responsibility come naturally to you now?
Look, it’s an ongoing process of turning up and being committed and making mistakes and learning and being present in your work.
So no resting on your laurels eh?
I’m not gonna lie, I am constantly having to prove myself. Without a doubt, women have to prove themselves so much more than men in these jobs.
Do you think that challenge has stayed the same over 20 years or do things get better?
I think when you are older, you are more outspoken that’s for sure. Is it like that for you too?
I think we anticipate things quicker as we get older. And we also know the tax or the consequences of not speaking up, so we tend to speak up sooner than when we were young.
100% agreed.
"I watch the head lighting technician and she is working with these crews of really physically big men...she’s tiny, but a great boss. And there is harmony... stuff gets done. Everybody works together."
Do you see more women on the scene than there used to be?
There’s more. I love it. I see the increase. But it hasn’t happened quickly. I see these amazing women working on the floor beside me. Even though we do different trades, I get to work beside them.
It’s a long time coming right?
It’s really cool. And it’s inspiring that there’s more of us. I watch the head lighting technician and she is working with these crews of really physically big men…she’s tiny, but a great boss. And there is harmony…stuff gets done. Everybody works together.
Working in a team environment, that whole ‘get it done together’ attitude of being a tradie is one of the things that I love.
Yeah, yeah, when a job goes well…
…There’s nothing like it
….Everyone plays their part and we all do it together.
So what’s this I hear about you and Marvel movies?
Building for the arts is never the same, different mechanics and designs, which is great. I had worked for years in Melbourne doing set building, galleries, festivals, museums and so on. But every time I was watching films I was like wowww they get to make stuff and blow it up, and run a bit crazy like! So I started chasing that dream.
I went to the Gold Coast to seek work at Movieworld. But even with the right contact numbers I couldn’t get a foot in the door because I didn’t really know anyone else on the Queensland scene.
So I moved to Sydney…and got lucky…sitting at dinner one night with friends. I mentioned that I was looking for work and one of them happened to work at Fox Studios. Long story short, since October last year, I am working for the head steel supervisor for Fox Studios. They do production for many of the major films that are made in Australia. My boss always gets called back because he is that person that does things well, and always makes sure he has good people working for him.
Are you allowed to say what you are working on?
Mmm…it’s one of the Marvel films…you will see. Things have been quiet during Covid but we have to get back there soon to finish that set! And I’m excited. There’s a lot of International film production coming into Australia. The word is out that there are skilled crews here.
Have you heard of ‘Weld Like a Girl’? It’s based in the U.S – not a formal educational program with certifications but they run welding classes for women and girls
That sounds fun!! My long-term goal is to go overseas and live with a community and utilise my skills for good. I also want to go back to the Philippines and do workshops with my own family and community.
You were born in the Philippines?
I was born in the Southern Islands but also grew up in Manila and Cebu. I was moved around a lot as a kid between uncles and aunties, a lot of boat rides between islands! I moved to Australia when I was ten. It was a bicentenary year. I remember there was this thing with the centenary coins at that time.
I’ve done some volunteering here in Australia – two weeks in Warburton WA with the Ngaanyatjarra. We were part of building the Wilurarra Social Enterprise Salon. A hairdressers not as you might know it, but with lots of indigenous cultural considerations. It was a local youth initiative. That was the hottest place in the world …and I was welding!
It was an amazing time. A mutual exchange really. I got to go out bush and stay with a local family. One of the family, BJ, was a welder too. He did a thing called bush welding which was different to what I know. He saw a video of a revolving stage I had built for My Fair Lady, got super excited and wanted to build one for his band in the bush. I was like “Hell yeah!” so I helped him figure out the mechanism using salvaged parts.
You would be handy to know in the apocalypse, in a kind of Charlize Theron Mad Max Fury Road kind of way!
My partner’s Dad asked me something related the other day – how would I weld if I didn’t have electricity. I said if I can make fire, I can weld it. Find me a heat source and I can weld it!
This is one of the great things about being a tradie – that you are a resourceful kind of person, and adaptable right?
Yep, and that’s across the board…whatever trade you’re in. I totally agree. And working a trade…over time…you put yourself out more…you take on leadership roles.
That sounds to me like something that starts happening when your confidence starts growing…like “ok what’s my next challenge? What else can I do?”
It’s true. But it doesn’t happen overnight. You have to be willing to work hard. And you are learning all the time. You make mistakes. It’s normal. We all make mistakes.
Any advice for women arriving on the scene now?
Ask a lot of questions…first of yourself…what makes you tick…what drives you…and once you say out loud what you want, and start the conversation with others, doorways will open… Then once you find the opportunities, don’t be shy to pitch yourself!
Like you with the job at Fox Studios!
I wanted that job. So bad!
And you got it!
Well that’s it. You have to know what you want and then go for it! It’s so satisfying how it works out. The team I work with now are total pros. We have a lot of fun…a lot of fun…even failing together is fun!
Ever heard the quote, find something you love and you never work a day in your life?
Oh I love that….
You know something else? There are more women coming through all the time in trades. And women bosses running crews.
Right. And that’s the next thing people are talking about right? Not just seeing more women on the floor, but more women leaders
Cheers to that!
Thank Quell 🙂
