Open Pit Supervisor Max Harris from Boulder has been crowned Western Australia’s best Cat® machinery operator, following a nail-biting State Final of the Caterpillar® Global Operator Challenge last week.
Is there something magical in the red dirt at Kalgoorlie?
Two years ago, Jake Myers from WA’s renowned mining city in the Goldfields was crowned the state’s best equipment operator following an outstanding show of skill at the inaugural WesTrac-hosted Caterpillar® Global Operator Challenge (GOC).
At this year’s GOC, the trophy went to Northern Star open pit supervisor Max Harris from Boulder, located in the Kalgoorlie vicinity.
Max outperformed 10 other finalists to in a series of three challenges, designed to test the skill, accuracy, and agility of competitors.
Taking out the title of State Champion, the 32-year-old won an all-expenses-paid trip to Japan, where he will put his skills to the test against international operators at the Asia-Pacific Regional Final in October.
From there, only three operators will be selected to travel to Las Vegas in March next year to compete against the world’s best operators in the Caterpillar Global Operator Final held at CONEXPO 2026. Max will be hoping to do better than Jake, who finished fourth in Japan.
While he had 15 years of operating experience, Max said he was overwhelmed by the win.
“I wasn’t expecting this, I came here looking to have a bit of fun and was shocked when my name got called,” he said.
“That was a very tough competition and some of the finalists are on the next level when it comes to diggers and that sort of thing.
“I look forward to representing WA over in Japan and can’t wait to give it a red hot crack for us.”
And a more exciting opportunity awaits if Max makes it to Vegas. “I’ll get married to my fiancée in an Elvis wedding ceremony,” he said.
Max’s winning time was 19 minutes and 29 seconds, followed closely by Steve Farley of Connect Resources on 22 minutes and 48 seconds, who pipped third-placed Luke Davis, an operator with the Avalon Group, by four seconds.
WesTrac WA General Manager of Construction Cameron Callaway said the GOC recognises and celebrates one of the key factors behind successful use of equipment: the people who operate the machines.
“I can’t emphasise that enough. It is about the person behind the seat that really delivers the value of what we do in our product,” he said.
The challenges
The WA final, held at WesTrac’s Perth Branch dig pit, involved a variety of different challenges and required skills across three different Cat® machines.
“The tasks performed by competitors included digging a trench, loading and carrying material over an obstacle course, and navigating a tight course, which all had to be completed with safety front-of-mind,” Cameron said.
“All of the operators, who have come from various companies across WA’s mining and construction industries, completed these tasks with remarkable precision. However there could only be one State Champion.
“Congratulations to Max and on behalf of the entire team at WesTrac, we wish him every success as he heads to Japan to represent Western Australia.”
- The Big Dig
Operating a Cat 313 Next Generation excavator, contestants had to pick up and place an oil filter with a hook attached to the bucket, without knocking any barriers along the way.
They then had to dig a trench using the built-in 2D Cat Grade feature.
- Navigate the Narrows
Competitors had to navigate a Cat 255 Compact Track Loader through a narrow course while carrying a log, without it hitting any safety cones. Along the way, they had to knock six tennis balls off the cones and carefully steer the pole through metal gaps.
At the end, the 255 had to be reversed back up to a bollard as close as possible without hitting it.
- Load and Go
Driving a Cat 930 Next Generation Wheel Loader with Cat Payload technology, operators had to move material through the course to achieve a target payload into three buckets in only three passes.
Major milestones
This year the 2025-26 GOC coincides with two important dates: Caterpillar celebrates its 100-year anniversary of providing industry-leading equipment globally, and WesTrac WA commemorates 35 years as a Cat dealer.
WesTrac CEO Jarvas Croome said the event provided the perfect platform to celebrate the milestones by showcasing the latest and most advanced Cat equipment alongside the best operator talent in the industry.
“The Global Operator Challenge showcased just how far Cat machines, tools, and technology have evolved over the past century,” Jarvas said.
“The challenges were designed to test the agility and accuracy of each of the operators, all the while keeping safety at the front of mind throughout each and every task.
“We’ve also seen some of the latest and most advanced Cat technology at work, which is part of what the Global Operating Challenge is all about.”
To commemorate the occasion, a bonus challenge was held for the competitors, named the Rotorama Showcase. Operators had to use a Cat 308 Mini Excavator with a tiltrotator to pick up five tyres from different spots and place them in a neat and orderly stack.
The winner of the event was Cormack Catterson of PCH Civil, who impressed all by manipulating the grapple hook expertly to line up his tyres in the quickest time, and winning a limited edition model of a Caterpillar Twenty … the very first model to be “all-Caterpillar” from the ground up.
Indeed, Cormack’s presence at the GOC was a historic one. From a field of about 70 preliminary finalists, he and brother Connor made the final cut, making them the first team of siblings to make it to the last round.
“I love the excavation stuff, using the big diggers and the track machines,” Cormack said.
The younger of the two, he said he enjoyed the friendly but competitive rivalry with Connor in the pits.
The Cattersons came from an earthmoving background in Ireland, where their father was a building contractor.
“He had his own machines and from a very young age, we grew up around our own diggers and we learned to love them. Our youngest memories are of us being on machines even when we were barely walking,” he said.
Coming to Australia in 2018, Cormack said they found the terrain obviously different to the ground conditions in the Emerald Isle.
“We work in the Pilbara where it’s obviously a lot drier and the soils harder,” he said.
“But the machines are incredible and some of the conditions that we put them through are unbelievable.”
The heat is on
On behalf of the WesTrac team, Jarvas thanked the participating operators, and the businesses involved, for bringing a vibrant energy and atmosphere to the WA Final.
“We are exceptionally proud to have hosted this renowned industry event for the second time at our Perth Branch and we look forward to cheering on our State Champion at the Asia-Pacific Regional Final,” he said.
The Global Operator Challenge was launched by Caterpillar in 2019 with WesTrac participating for the first time in 2022.
Learn more about the Global Operator Challenge by visiting www.cat.com/operatorchallenge.