A diverse range of John Deere technicians have been recognised for their talents in the company’s second annual Technician Awards
Four finalists were named in each of the ‘agriculture service technician of the year’ and ‘parts technician of the year’ categories, with the winners to be announced at a gala event in Brisbane on August 5.
Before being crowned as the best of the best, finalists must undergo a second round of judging where their hands-on skills and technical expertise for providing remote backup support will be tested.
The finalists are:
Agriculture Service Technician of the Year
▪ Jaymee Ireland, Emmetts, Roseworthy, South Australia
▪ Vincent Powditch, RDO Equipment, Taree South, New South Wales
▪ Karl Moschella, Honeycombes, Ayr, Queensland
▪ William Lawless, Brandt, Sunshine, Victoria
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Deere agriculture service technician finalists (clockwise from top left) Karl Moschella, Jaymee Ireland, William Lawless and Vincent Powditch
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Parts Technician of the Year
▪ Sally Clayton, Hutcheon & Pearce, Forbes, New South Wales
▪ Caitlin Williams, RDO Equipment, Gympie, Queensland
▪ Dillon James, AFGRI Equipment, Narrogin, Western Australia
▪ Sarah Lewis, Brandt, Terang, Victoria
Deere’s Australia and New Zealand managing director Luke Chandler congratulated all the finalists and says technicians play an important role in the company’s operation.
“Technicians deliver services integral to the agriculture industry by not only providing vital backup support and remote diagnostics, but by empowering operators to get the most out of their machinery and technology,” he says.
“Australia is fortunate to have an enormous pool of talented technicians working across the country, so these finalists deserve to be very proud for being named among the best in their field.
“Parts technicians play an integral role in ensuring the agriculture, forestry and construction industries have a rapid flow of parts and equipment to their machines.
“Technicians working in the parts department have an intimate knowledge of machinery and are often a farmer or operator’s first port of call when seeking new parts.”
Deere received more than 100 nominations from Australia and New Zealand across the six categories.
Finalists in the agriculture service and parts technicians will compete to be named Australian champion, while finalists in the other four categories will compete with New Zealand finalists for a combined title.
The remaining finalists are:
Construction & Forestry Service Technician of the Year
▪ Peter Roughley, RDO Equipment, Eastern Creek, New South Wales
▪ Scott Jackson, RDO Equipment, Richlands, Queensland
▪ Max O’Brien, RDO Equipment, Wingfield, South Australia
▪ Ben Mummery, AFGRI Equipment, Albany, Western Australia
Turf Service Technician of the Year
▪ Cameron Black, RDO Equipment, Lismore, New South Wales
▪ Michael Gemzik, RDO Equipment, Loganholme, Queensland
▪ John Mooney, AFGRI Equipment, South Guildford, Western Australia
▪ Adam Kent, Brandt, Knoxfield, Victoria
Service Apprentice of the Year
▪ Oliver Dean, Hutcheon & Pearce, Cowra, New South Wales
▪ Jack Jones, RDO Equipment, Roma, Queensland
▪ Josh Kramer, Emmetts, Roseworthy, South Australia
▪ Thomas Conroy, Brandt, Ballarat, Victoria
Parts Apprentice of the Year
▪ Kaylyn-Rose Netrval, RDO Equipment, Rutherford, New South Wales
▪ Lauren Cortes, RDO Equipment, Dalby, Queensland
▪ Mitchell Channer, AFGRI Equipment, South Guildford, Western Australia
▪ Matt Harvey, Midland Tractors, Longford, Tasmania