Dawsons' Stories

Mick Erickson - Swimming against the tide...

Mick Erickson is a rarity at Dawsons - he was a valued client of Dawsons who eventually became an employee. "Over the years, we’ve had a huge number of employees who have gone on to work directly for our clients and some who subsequently progress to positions where they represent our clients", commented Dawsons Labour Hire Manager, Sharon Dawson. "We’ve also had a number of employees who’ve started up their own businesses - sometimes in competition to us. But this is definitely a first"

Mick was an interesting character from the beginning though. He began as your local smiling Bank Manager, who chose to seek a new career as an adult Electrical Apprentice. His interest in exploration and enthusiasm for a challenge then saw him based in Antarctica as a Senior Electrical Fitter Mechanic before entering the mining industry.

Dawsons first encountered Mick when he was the Electrical Superintendent at the then Gunpowder Mine. A mutually easy working relationship with Mick and the whole team at Gunpowder quickly developed a solid foundation on the site. Mick soon moved on to the Alcan Gove Project and Yabulu Refinery, all the while under the watchful eye of Sharon. "I had always kept a track of Mick" said Sharon, "and when the position came up at Century Mine to manage our Support Services Alliance, I phoned Mick to see if he would be interested. We didn’t advertise, so we didn’t have a back up plan and I was the only person in the management team who had previously met Mick. This was a crucial position for Dawsons and I was hoping that Mick would be as good to work with as he was to work for."

According to Sharon, they haven’t been disappointed.

"Mick brings the perspective of the client to his role, which has had a very positive influence on the successful delivery of our Site Services Alliance at Century. He ensures we continue to deliver a quality service, on time and on budget, and understands the mining industry and the demands of completing any project in a labour tight market".