Two important 'extra' awards were announced at our Awards for Excellence luncheon: a Life Membership and an induction into our Hall of Fame.

While the main purpose of Awards for Excellence events is to recognise the finalists and winners of the various award categories, they are also perfect occasions for honouring people who have made outstanding contributions to the industry in other ways.

At the luncheon on Friday 7 March, two such individuals, both highly respected by their peers, received the acclaim due to them.

Life Membership - Ron Grant

The late Ron Grant, who had been an Association member since 2009, served as Vice-President from 2016 until his death and put his passion for high standards into practice by founding the highly regarded Diploma Plumbing , was posthumously made a Life Member.

Life Membership is the highest honour a member can receive and is the most fitting form of recognition for someone of Ron’s calibre.

This photo shows Ron's wife Michelle and daughter Jessica moments after they accepted Ron's Life Membership certificate and badge.

Hall of Fame - Murray Thomas

Murray has been our CEO since 2007 and was inducted into our Hall of Fame in recognition of many years of outstanding service to this Association and the entire plumbing and gasfitting industry.

Among his many contributions, Murray played a key role in bringing about much-needed reforms to WA's plumbing laws, established our strong relationship with Water Corporation and helped drive the success of Waterwise Plumber program. He has had influential roles on numerous boards and committees that make decisions about industry policies at state and national levels.

This photo shows Murray giving his acceptance speech.

Would you like to see more photos from this event? Have a look at photos of winners and the event photo gallery.