A concert pianist, a volunteer firefighter and a female competitive motorcycle rider are just three of the 25 amazing Australian John Deere technicians who have earned their place in this year’s prestigious Technician of the Year Awards.
The fifth annual John Deere Technician of the Year Awards honour the essential work technicians do every day to support industries critical to Australia’s economy and rural and regional communities.
The Australian finalists will travel to Brisbane in mid-September to undergo a final round of intense technical testing, where they will be judged individually on their ability to perform hands-on diagnostics and troubleshoot real-life scenarios and customer challenges.
John Deere Australia and New Zealand Managing Director, Luke Chandler, congratulated the finalists, acknowledging the significant impact they have made not only in their dealerships, but also across their communities and the wider industries they support.
“Being a technician today is all about supporting customers and the industries that keep regional Australia strong,” Mr Chandler said.
“They play a crucial role that calls for digital expertise, critical thinking, and the ability to solve complex problems. All of which keeps our customers up and running, boosting their productivity, and supporting more sustainable business practices.
“All the finalists should be incredibly proud. Their dedication, strong work ethics and commitment to delivering outstanding customer service has been recognised by their dealerships and acknowledged through the first round of internal judging,” he said.
“We look forward to hosting all our finalists at our headquarters in South East Queensland, where they will take on a range of challenging real-world scenarios, designed to test their diagnostic and problem-solving abilities and to determine the winners in each category.”
Australian finalists will have the opportunity to compete for titles in five categories in this year’s awards including Agriculture and Turf Service Technician of the Year, Parts Technician of the Year, Construction and Forestry Service Technician of the Year, Service Apprentice of the Year, and Parts Apprentice of the Year.
John Deere Australia and New Zealand Customer Support Business Manager, Marko Koelln, said it was rewarding to see many new contenders in this year’s lineup of finalists and several technicians returning who have progressed in their careers.
“This year in our Parts Technician of the Year category we have two former Parts Apprentice of the Year winners among the finalists,” he said.
“It’s a great reflection of their ongoing growth and commitment. They’ve continued to build their careers while maintaining the exceptional customer service that made them stand out in the past.
“We are also excited to welcome new names to the program, with technicians representing dealerships from across Australia.
“All our finalists have unique backgrounds, some with roots in agriculture or a strong interest in machinery, while others have discovered their career path later in life.
“Regardless of how they arrived at their current roles, each of them shares a strong commitment to delivering exceptional customer service and seizing every opportunity to grow, learn and succeed in their field.”
The Award winners will be announced at the John Deere Technician of the Year Awards gala event on Thursday, September 18.
The finalists
Agriculture and Turf Service Technician of the Year finalists
(will compete against each other for an Australian country Award)
- Robb Burrows, Emmetts, Murray Bridge, South Australia
- Michael Moriconi, Brandt, Ballarat, Victoria
- Karl Moschella, Honeycombes, Ayr, Queensland
- Daniel Popovici, AFGRI Equipment, Albany, Western Australia
- Vincent Powditch, RDO Equipment, Taree South, New South Wales
Parts Technician of the Year finalists
(will compete against each other for an Australian country Award)
- Poppy Blohm, AFGRI Equipment, Narrogin, Western Australia
- Tracy Hogan, RDO Equipment, Emerald, Queensland
- John McMillan, Hutcheon & Pearce, Lavington, New South Wales
- Wyatt Sciacca, Honeycombes, Innisfail, Queensland
- Tanisha Sevenich, Brandt, Ballarat, Victoria
- Kaylyn Sutherland, RDO Equipment, Taree South, New South Wales
Construction and Forestry Service Technician of the Year finalists
(will compete against each other and one New Zealand finalist for the Award)
- Damian Aspinall, RDO Equipment, Roma, Queensland
- Bradley Hallett, RDO Equipment, Eastern Creek, New South Wales
- Johannes Offringa, AFGRI Equipment, Albany, Western Australia
- Cameron Wood, RDO Equipment, Mount St John, Queensland
Service Apprentice of the Year finalists
(will compete against each other and one New Zealand finalist for the Award)
- Henry Barkley, Haeusler’s, Mildura, Victoria
- Rickard Gardner, RDO Equipment, Derrimut, Victoria
- Nathan Murdoch, Hutcheon & Pearce, Cowra, New South Wales
- Jared Olson, Emmetts, Murray Bridge, South Australia
- Abbey Smith, RDO Equipment, Toowoomba, Queensland
Parts Apprentice of the Year finalists
(will compete against each other for the Award)
- Olivia Barsley, Hutcheon & Pearce, Cowra, New South Wales
- Hannah Goedhart-Hutchings, AFGRI Equipment, Merredin, Western Australia
- Tiffiny Kajewski, RDO Equipment, St George, Queensland
- Chelsea Lullfitz, AFGRI Equipment, Narembeen, Western Australia
- Alex Sinclair, Haeusler’s, Shepparton, Victoria
