(L-R) Urban Caves owner Guy Brown with Nova client Wayne Marmion
By Ellen Hill for Urban Caves Photo: David Hill, Deep Hill Media
For the past five months, Wayne Marmion and Guy Brown have traversed a shared path of self-discovery, reflection and challenge.
Their journey has earned Mr Brown and his business, Urban Caves, a place among the finalists in the 2018 Blue Mountains Business Awards in the Employee Inclusion Award category.
Mr Brown employed Mr Marmion under a Nova Employment and Training subsidy program he learned about after meeting a Nova representative at a Blue Mountains Regional Business Chamber event.
It has been a life-changing experience for both of them.
Suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety, former navy marine technical hull specialist, Mr Marmion struggled to leave his Wentworth Falls home before becoming a Nova client and being placed in a job at the Katoomba-based Urban Caves.
These days, he works alongside Mr Brown installing pre-fabricated cabins (urban caves), micro shelters and glampervans between Glenbrook and Lithgow.
“I like to give people a go,’’ Mr Brown said.
“It’s been a really good experience for me because I had a lot of prejudices about hiring people who were older, but Wayne is a bloody good asset to the business.’’
As well as having a wealth of experience and maturity, Mr Marmion was well presented, friendly, reliable and confident making suggestions.
“I’m definitely happy and proud to have Wayne onsite with me and I’d recommend people be open-minded and give people a go.’’
As well as investing again in his tool kit, Mr Marmion has regained his passion for building, creating, drawing, playing guitar and writing stories, pastimes he was emotionally unable to engage in for years.
“I’m reconnecting with who I was even before I was in the navy. I’m using my hands again,’’ the father-of-five said.
“Guy says he doesn’t want to take credit for this, but he should. There’s been a lot of benefits for me working for him that I don’t know how to quantify.’’
Urban Caves is a commercial client of Deep Hill Media
(L-R) Wayne Marmion and Guy Brown work on another Urban Caves cabin