Forge your future in Farriery with GOTAFE
The 2025 Melbourne Royal Show marked an historic moment for the farriery trade – and GOTAFE was front and centre.
A group of four dedicated apprentices from GOTAFE proudly represented the farriery program at an historic Melbourne Royal Show competition recently.
The 2025 edition of the show, from 25 September to 5 October, saw the hosting of the first farrier competition in over 20 years – and GOTAFE apprentices were front and centre showcasing their developing skills, professionalism, and passion for the craft.
GOTAFE Competitors:
• Tom Dunn – 1st Year Apprentice
• Jason Parker – 3rd Year Apprentice
• Julian Bramucci – 3rd Year Apprentice
• Rory Templeton – 4th Year Apprentice
The competition featured a series of individual and team events, testing participants in areas such as forging, shoeing and teamwork.
All competitors demonstrated impressive craftsmanship, professionalism and commitment to their trade.
Competition Results:
• Julian Bramucci – Overall Novice High Point Winner
• Jason Parker – 1st in Novice Eagle Eye, 2nd in Novice Shoeing
• Tom Dunn – 3rd in Novice Forging, Encouragement Award
In a further testament to the strength of GOTAFE’s Certificate IV in Farriery (ACM40818) program, GOTAFE Teacher Farriery Jonathan Leoncini joined Jason Parker and Rory Templeton to compete in the prestigious Dennis Kennedy 3-Man Draught competition, highlighting the strong mentorship and camaraderie within the team.
All participating apprentices expressed how valuable and inspiring the experience was, gaining not only technical experience but also forging lasting connections within the industry.
“The (tasks) in the novice section really correlated with what the apprentices are doing at trade school with that added time pressure of a competition,” Jonathan said.
“The interaction and networking with other apprentices from across Australia was fantastic as well.
“The Master Farriers Association is keen to continue with it now, the feedback was really good, hopefully we can see more apprentices go and put their skills up against the clock and a judge.”
The achievements of the cohort reflect the strength of GOTAFE’s training program and signal a bright future for farriery in Victoria.
“We have around 40 apprentices across the four years of the course and already more of them have expressed interest in having a go next year,” Jonathan said.
“It can be daunting working in front of the public and with a new judge, but it’s a good learning curve to step out of their comfort zone and interact with more people, it helps with their apprenticeship and gives them confidence for when they will need to deal with clients and vets.
“It’s fantastic that we’re doing something that can help put GOTAFE on the map a bit, push and develop the apprentices and get more people interested in the trade.”