Dan Clarke celebrates 30 years at Lahey Construction with son following in his footsteps

Dan Clarke has a 40-year-career in construction and three decades of that have been spent working for Kempsey company Lahey Construction.

During the past 30 years, Mr Clarke has worked on over 30 projects with Lahey Construction all over New South Wales.

Jobs close to home include the Slim Dusty Centre; Booroongen Djugun Aged Care Centre; Kempsey Police Station, Mid North Coast Correctional Centre, and Kempsey Hospital.

However, most of his time spent building has been away from his wife Michelle and four children Bryce, Lochie, Zoe and Emily.

All that time on the road and away from home and his family prompted Mr Clarke to discourage his children from joining the industry, but it did little to deter his son Lochie.

Before his son could finish school the duo were on the road together.

Lochie is in his eleventh year at Lahey Construction.

"Lochie has followed me around since he could basically walk," said Mr Clarke. "He was always with me, and wanted to do whatever I was doing."

Mr Clarke would often bring his son on site as a toddler, and at home Lochie was known to get into his father's toolbox.

At the age of 17, Lochie officially joined his father and the business.

Lochie got the "call-up" to join the company during Christmas school holidays prior to heading back for year 12 and chose to take the opportunity.

"I wasn't a big fan of school to start with," said Lochie.

He completed his apprenticeship under his father's guidance and found himself stationed in Moree for his first job.

"I spent the next five or six years travelling with dad all across the state doing jobs," said Lochie.

The father and son duo worked alone together, besides the odd local contractor.

At that time, Lochie was still living at home, so the pair were together seven days a week.

Now an experienced site manager, Lochie will soon celebrate his 11th anniversary with Lahey Construction, and has come to realise that his dad is "one of the best".

"What I'm learning now is that, having done thirty years in the business, dad is one of the best they've got" he said. "Which I think is easy to say.

"I've really been extremely lucky to have spent that time with him and learn one-on-one all that information."

Lochie says that now that he is older he realises that learning from his father was a privilege.

"When you're a kid you don't necessarily think that, see that side of things as a family, but getting into the business and actually working out that he is one of the best that there is...It's been a privilege," he said.

Lochie and Dan Clarke have since worked on several projects together.

"Lochie's not afraid to speak up against me if he disagrees with something and he'll challenge me, which I think is a good thing," said Mr Clarke.

Now the Regional Construction Manager Mr Clarke is Lahey Constructions most experienced Site Manager and oversees all of their North Coast projects, continuing to travel up and down the NSW coastline.

He is currently in Byron Bay, but says he would rather be home in Sherwood.

"I don't mind the work, but I'm not a lover of the living away and travelling...I'd like to stay home," he said.

"It'd be nice to win enough local work to keep me around the area, between port and Kempsey and Coffs, it'd be nice.

"Every builder does the same in commercial stuff, there's never enough work in your home town. Especially regional towns."

Mr Clarke says the company "lives in hope" to land more local projects.

Lochie says that now he has a wife two kids, he too hopes to win more local jobs to stay closer to his family.

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