Fall approaches bringing its usual activities to each of us along with unexpected happenings. At the Stone Trust, Fall Test Day happens during the next to last week of September. This year fourteen wallers will challenge themselves to Dry Stone Walling Association (DSWA) certification—nine at Level 1, three at Level 2, and two at Level 3. Walling experience among the Level 1 candidates ranges from several months to thirty or more years! (You can see that professional wallers increasingly recognize the value of DSWA certification.)
Most of the Level 1 candidates intend to pursue Level 2 certification, which makes them eligible to certify as instructors for the Stone Trust. Thank you! Stone Trust instructors make it possible for all of you to learn the art and craft of dry stone walling. Several candidates received Entry-Level Professional Waller Scholarships, a tool for developing waller-teachers to bring the art and craft of dry stone walling as close to your home as possible.
Fall Test Day happens on Friday September 23 at the Stone Trust Center in Dummerston. Andrew Loudon, DSWA Master Craftsman & Chief Examiner is coming from the UK to assess candidates. Master Craftsman Dean McLellan is coming from Ontario to act as the second assessor. Please feel free to stop by on this quietly festive day of to lend support to the wallers testing their skills and their stamina against the clock.
Simultaneous with Fall Test Day, ten aspiring wallers will be heading to Derbyshire to train and test for certification. Brainchild of Martin Beevers, board member and founder of the Stone Trust Tennessee, the Derbyshire American Training Program immerses participants in the Old World method of learning the fundamentals. The trip also highlights the importance of the relationship between the Stone Trust and the DSWA. We’ll let you know how it goes!
You have two more opportunities to train and test for Level 1 Waller Certification in 2022. Read about and register for the Contractors Intensive here.