Arborist Brandon Bennett gave what MC Osher Gunsberg pronounced the "speech of the night" when he won a Rhino.
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The employee of Dubbo Tree Service clinched the apprentice or trainee of the year category at the Regional Australia Bank Dubbo Chamber of Commerce Rhino Awards on Friday night.
His acceptance speech, in which he thanked not only his employer but also himself, prompted multiple lots of applause and laughter from the crowd.
- Find the full list of Rhinos winners here
Clutching the trophy, Mr Bennett said he was holding his entire career in the palm of his hand.
He said he "didn't really write a speech" and would "just sort of wing it, like I do everything in life".
"I want to thank Mitch Hodder, my boss, for putting me on as everything, like his apprentice, and I'm fully qualified now," he said.
"Most importantly, I want to thank me.
"I want to thank me for driving seven and a half hours all the way down to Wollongong once a month for a week, for two years.
"I want to thank me for sticking it out, and I'd like to thank me, for messaging Mitch Hodder on a random day in 2019 and asking for an apprenticeship, and now I'm standing here a winner."
There was a round of applause and Gunsberg, known for hosting The Bachelor on Network 10 and his podcast Better Than Yesterday among other projects, suggested Mr Bennett would also receive the "speech of the night award".
"Good luck if you're next," Gunsberg said.
The Verto Award for Apprentice and Trainee of the Year recognises an apprentice or a trainee that has gone above and beyond the call of duty, making a valuable contribution to the business they work for.
Finalists in the category were Samuel Berryman of GPS Plumbing, Drainage & Gasfitting, Karina Kilpatrick of The Exchange Dubbo and Bianca Simpson of National Australia Bank.
Postponed from October, it was the 25th Rhinos and attended by about 400 people.
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