b'A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWNYoung apprentice And he knew full well wed walked up there with absolutely nothing! says Karl. Dave would Karl Muller arrived at Dixon & Haddon in 1990 then ask, Karl, you got the spanner? Karl, you to complete his apprenticeship. Hed beengot the hammer? Being the youngest, Karl training in the workshop of another company.would run down and get the gear and bring it When it could no longer accommodate him, heback up. was fortunate to join Dixon & Haddon and heThen Karl got cunning. There was another spent the final year of his apprenticeship out onguy on the team, Jake Faafua. Karl would climb site. Karl quickly became a convert. up even higher than Dave and Jake and sit on One attraction was the variety. No twothe steel. When Dave started to say Karl, did projects are the same. Another was realising you bring. Id say, Dave, Im up here mate!the outcome. In the workshop you dontSo Jake would have to go and get the gear.see the finished product, you just make oneIn the early days, all the equipment was very component at a time. But outside we seeheavy and cumbersome. It took two people to it erected, bolted and finished. That waslift the welding machines, which were close to fascinating for me. 100kg, says Karl. Technology has played a big As of 2022, Karl had notched up 32 years part in transforming the steel erection industry. on the outside. Now you have a welding machine the size of Karl spent his early days on the job undera ladys handbag and it weighs about seven Dave Drollt and his first job was working on kilograms. And gear like the old-school plumb the new part of the Auckland High Court. bob has been replaced by lasers. Everything is Every morning they would meet first and hemuch easier than it used to be.would ask Dave, what do we need to take up? And Dave would say, never mind, just go, you dont need anything. Theyd climb up two or three floors to where they would be working Left: Karl Mullers (top left) first job was working onand Dave would say, well just get started. the new part of the Auckland High Court with Dave Drollt (bottom left).66'