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Another brick in the wall: Kilmore bricklayer heads to Las Vegas

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Pam Kiriakidis
Pam Kiriakidis
Pam Kiriakidis has worked as a journalist at the North Central Review since 2022, with a particular focus on the City of Whittlesea and stories for the Whittlesea Review. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Communications majoring in journalism and focuses on politics, community, and health with the occasional niche sports story finding its way in front of her.

A full day of bricklaying is a tough challenge, but Damian Amuso and Scott Law are prepared to lay as many bricks as possible in one hour at the Spec Mix Bricklayer 500 World Championships in Las Vegas.

The duo will compete in the championships, also know as the ‘Bricklaying Olympics’ this week, competing against 27 teams from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

The Spec Mix Bricklayer 500 is part of the World of Concrete expo, attracting over 60,000 attendees, and is live-streamed to millions worldwide.

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The event is judged with precision, where even a single misaligned brick can determine the difference between victory and defeat.

Mr Amuso, a Kilmore bricklayer with over 25 years of experience, made history in 2019 when he and his wife Tara teamed up to represent Australia, placing an impressive sixth in their debut at the championships.

Ms Amuso, who was the first woman to serve as a labour tender at the event, is now passing the task to Mr Law—a trusted colleague of Mr Amuso— to bring the title home.

Ms Amuso said the pair shared a strong bond, noting that their birthdays were close too.

“They’ve worked together very closely for quite a few years now … they know each other very well,” she said.

“They’re very similar, they literally turn 40 three days of each other next month.

“The boys have been practicing for months upon months now … Damian’s built a wall out the back of our property.

“They’ll get out there and they’ll do a practice run, which consists of mixing up the mud, laying all the bricks, and then cleaning it all up again, pretty much half the day practicing.”

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Damian and Tara Amuso attended the bricklaying competition in 2019, making their first debut.

Mr Amuso comes from a strong linage of bricklayers and began his career in the trade at a young age, eager to follow in the footsteps of all the skilled craftsmen before him.

“It’s a passion that has been brought to him,” Ms Amuso said.

“His dad was a bricklayer, and it’s a very Italian thing.

“It’s one of those things that’s grown with him, growing up with uncles that are bricklayers and family that are all bricklayers, and he’s got a passion for it that’s beyond.

“It’s crazy honestly, we’ve got a brick veggie garden at the back of our house, that’s how much he loves bricklaying.”

While winning the prize money would be life-changing for the Amusos and their two young boys, winning the title would allow them to take a step closer to another goal of their own—to bring the format to Australia, and encourage more young people to enter the bricklaying trade.

The Spec Mix Bricklayer 500 kicks off at 9am Las Vegas time on January 22, which is 4am on January 23 in Melbourne time.

To stay up to date with Team Amusos’ journey, follow their social media accounts at @TeamAmuso.

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