JOIN Westfield and see the world! That wasn’t exactly what the job description said when David Brunker was employed as a building cadet 27 years ago, but he did get to see some of the world — the Australian part of it at least.
Mr Brunker was a carpenter by trade when he decided to expand his expertise with a building degree at UTS.
He was still studying when Westfield took him on.
From a hands-on tradesman role he worked his way to foreman, to contract administrator to his present role as project commercial manager on the Westfield Hurstville upgrade site.
In between times he followed Westfield wherever it was building a new shopping centre, usually staying the two years it took for projects to be completed.
Often that meant uprooting wife Kerri-Ann and the four children from their Caringbah home to start new schools and a new life — Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast.
The family spent 1996 to 1998 in Adelaide and 1998 to 2000 in Melbourne and in more recent years Mr Brunker tended to commute rather than drag the family from their routines.
‘‘Last year I was at the Gold Coast for a few months — now I’m back in Sydney, the best city in the world,’’ he said.
Mr Brunker worked at Westfield Miranda in 1992 and on the big extension at Westfield Hurstville in 1990, when his first son Adrian was born.
Adrian, a structural engineer, now works with his dad on the big refurbishment at Westfield Hurstville.
Technically he is not employed by Westfield but by an engineering company currently employed by Westfield but you never know what the future will bring.
In the meantime father and son go to work together.
‘‘I catch the train, he drives,’’ he said.
Here for the next generation
David Brunker worked on the big extension at Westfield Hurstville in 1990 when his first son, Adrian, was born. Adrian, now 25, is a structural engineer and he’s working with his dad on the current refurbishment under way at the same Westfield.
The $100 million upgrade is expected to be completed by Christmas and it will include a new rooftop alfresco dining area adjoining the entry to a refurbished and modified Event Cinema.
What are you most looking forward to about the new-look Westfield Hurstville?
