General News
9 August, 2023
Lewis vying for back-to-back awards
BRANDT Terang’s Sarah Lewis is in the mix for back-to-back national awards as John Deere’s Australian Parts Technician of the Year.
BRANDT Terang’s Sarah Lewis is in the mix for back-to-back national awards as John Deere’s Australian Parts Technician of the Year.
Ms Lewis was named Australian parts Technician of the Year at last year’s second annual John Deere Technician Awards, and was surprised to learn she had again been named a finalist this year.
She acknowledged she was both excited and nervous to again represent the business and community on the national stage, competing against other dealership technicians from across the country.
“It’s a massive privilege but I’m humbled to be making it through as a finalist with so many likeminded people from across the country,” Ms Lewis said.
“I’m fortunate for the opportunity that I had last year, and I love what I do so it’s exciting to be recognised as regional finalist again.
“As someone who has gone through it before, I feel disappointed for those who are as qualified or passionate when there is only a couple of people who can go through.
“It’s a competition and only one person can win it, but to even be nominated is a massive privilege but it certainly doesn’t take away from the job I try to do every day.”
Ms Lewis will go through a testing process before the winner is determined later this year.
She was nominated again after receiving a number of letters of support from some of the south west’s top agricultural experts, who lauded her attention to detail, dependability and unwavering commitment to supporting the growth and efficiency of farming businesses.
The agricultural industry has been an interest for Ms Lewis since she was young, having grown up on a small farm where she enjoyed riding dirt bikes, fishing for tadpoles and feeding calves.
After having the opportunity to move to Terang around five years ago, her appreciation of the importance of agriculture and local communities only grew stronger.
“We have a lot of great customers in the district, so while they’re working away it’s rewarding to be able to source parts for them and get it right the first time, which you hope to do on every occasion,” Ms Lewis said.
“You build rapport and respect with customers, learning more about their business and how you can best tailor support for them.
“I think that respect is a big part of being a female in a male-dominated industry - I came in to a very strong, caring team at Brandt so I feel very privileged to have grown with their experience and mentorship.
“Our customers were so patient when I was inexperienced, it could be overwhelming, but to have that support Brandt offer, the support of our team and the support of customers was a great combination to help me grow.”
Ms Lewis has become a leader within the Brandt Terang branch and is passionate about mentoring and upskilling the next generation of techs to help them service customers throughout the region; something she believes the process of her nomination will again assist with.
Having gone through the process before, she said one of the benefits she enjoyed last time was having the opportunity to meet with other representatives in the industry to network and learn.
“It’s unique to have an opportunity to discuss the pros and cons they come across with customers, learn about what is unique to their region and how they operate,” Ms Lewis said.
“It gives you the opportunity to bring back what you learn to have a conversation at our branch and strengthen what we already so to better support our customers.
“We’re very lucky John Deere give us a lot of resources to do our jobs and support our customers accurately and efficiently.”