A first-year apprentice from Shepparton is among 25 John Deere technicians who have earned their place in this year’s Technician of the Year Awards.
Alex Sinclair, who works for Haeusler’s in Shepparton, is a finalist in the Parts Apprentice of the Year award, competing for the title against four other apprentices from NSW, Queensland and Western Australia.
Before starting his apprenticeship with Haeusler’s in March 2024, Alex had a varied resume with roles that John Deere said shaped him into “an outstanding parts technician”.
His previous experience in front-of-house and kitchen-hand roles in busy restaurants taught him to work quickly while staying calm, professional and composed with customers. These roles also helped him develop strong communication skills and the ability to multitask in fast-paced environments.
And working with dairy and beef cattle gave him exposure to the agriculture industry.
Haeusler’s branch parts manager Brian Hayes said Alex’s dedication to his role was genuinely appreciated by both internal and external customers.
Alex is always professional and provides customers with correct, timely solutions to their needs or queries, Brian said.
With John Deere’s huge range of equipment, Alex said he has learned about everything from an S100 mower to the X9 combine harvester, and the thousands of parts that make up these machines.
He uses his strong communication and problem-solving skills to help understand what the customer needs and works with them and the dealership service technicians to find solutions and the correct parts to minimise downtime.
Alex is also deeply committed to his community, having volunteered with the Mooroopna CFA since he was 16.
As well as responding to emergencies with the brigade, he is also actively involved in fundraising and as a member of the CFA running team, he competes against other towns to showcase hose relaying with speed and accuracy.
The fifth annual John Deere Technician of the Year Awards honour the work technicians do every day to support industries critical to Australia’s economy and rural and regional communities.
The award categories are: Agriculture & Turf Service Technician of the Year, Parts Technician of the Year, Construction & Forestry Service Technician of the Year, Service Apprentice of the Year and Parts Apprentice of the Year.
The 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.
“Being a technician today is all about supporting customers and the industries that keep regional Australia strong,” John Deere Australia and New Zealand managing director Luke Chandler said.
“They play a crucial role that calls for digital expertise, critical thinking, and the ability to solve complex problems,” he said.
“All of which keeps our customers up and running, boosting their productivity, and supporting more sustainable business practices.
“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.”
The award winners will be announced at the John Deere Technician of the Year Awards gala event on Thursday, September 18.