Winner of the 2016 Reece Grant – which awards up to $25,000 to support community water projects in Australia and abroad – Mr Whalan was stationed in Kathmandu, Nepal as a volunteer.

He was all set to support the Thangpal Dap school. affected by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake nearly two years ago, but the birth of his daughter in November, his month of departure, kept him in Goulburn.

So Mr Whalan called up friend and fellow plumber Gerard Allen, based in Canberra, to take his place. The two previously judged for WorldSkills, one of Australia’s largest vocational competitions. Over 10 days, Mr Allen took the unexpected but welcomed journey.

“When I look back, it was pretty cool to teach the Nepalese guys certain skills,” Mr Allen said. “They could use the skills in their community [and] were so happy and content even though they had so little.”

The experience was “an eye-opener” and Mr Allen said he was glad he had the chance to help others.

Travelling to Nepal for many projects over the past three years, Mr Whalan said he had not lost sight of his goals overseas. “Improving access to toilets, hand-washing and the safe disposal of human waste will make a lot of difference to gut infections and general health in the school and wider community,” he said. 

The grant sponsors global projects with the cooperation of environmental and design group, Healthabitat.

 Mr Whalan plans to head to Nepal to continue volunteering soon.