A Border bicycle mechanic who retrained to follow his passion for helping others will represent Victoria in a national competition.
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Wodonga's Simon Watts on Friday was named the Vocational Student of the Year in the 2020 Victorian Training Awards, announced online owing to COVID-19 restrictions.
Mr Watts, 39, completed a two-year Diploma of Community Services with Wodonga TAFE last year and also jointly won the institution's Student of the Year.
He was "a bit shocked and had to sit down" when he learned of his state success and spoke to The Border Mail while preparing for November's Australian awards.
Originally from Bright, Mr Watts became a bicycle mechanic as a young adult and for about 17 years "basically worked in every bike shop in the area".
"I didn't enjoy school, I was only there to hang out with friends and ride my bike and be a kid," he said.
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In 2010 he became involved in a not-for-profit group Border Community Cycleworks, which collects and repairs unused bikes and then donates them.
"It began with a simple idea, as a way to support the community by supplying bicycles to people in need for free," Mr Watts said.
"We've run programs at local schools, helped out at local events, like the children's fair and Ride to Work Day.
"It kind of made me realise my heart's not in the retail world of the bicycle industry.
"So I made the decision that what I'm really interested in is the community engagement and supporting people and helping people in need."
A career change meant going back to study, something he hadn't thought about for years, but now had to fit in with the rest of life, which included his partner Kellie and daughter Yarna.
"It was a massive learning curve, just the writing reports, reading documents and all that stuff was a new experience," he said, praising the support he received during his course.
Wodonga TAFE chief executive Phil Paterson said it was wonderful to hear of Mr Watts' achievements.
"As a mature age student returning to study, Simon made sure he took every opportunity available to him to ensure his success throughout his time with Wodonga TAFE." Mr Paterson said.
"We are very proud of all our students' successes, and Simon is an outstanding example to others, of the power of working hard to follow your dream."
Mr Watts is about to start a new job with Junction Support Services as an education support and intake worker. a role with young people that fits into his goals.
"Wanting to mentor and role model and help people achieve what they wanted to achieve, help people follow their passions," he said.
