Bronson Jones of Bryce O'Sullivan Contracting took home the CCNZ CablePrice Wellington Wairarapa Regional Excavator Operator Competition title over the weekend, as crowds flocked to Brewtown in Upper Hutt to watch skilled excavator operators vie for the regional title.
Jones said he'd had 'a pretty good run' at this year's competition, in particular on the tyre stacking challenge where he had successfully made a six-high stack.
A proud moment on his championship run was the bucket pour, where competitors transfer water from one 20 litre bucket to another by lifting and tipping it using the excavator's teeth.
"I think the bucket went well for me this time," Jones said. "It's a real challenge because the bucket is full of water, the handle is already stretched, and you've gotta keep the fluid motion going, keep it pouring smoothly, without dropping the bucket or breaking the handle."
Jones said he had first learnt to use an excavator at around 12 years old, when his grandfather, also a civil contractor, had taught him the skills he now uses in his work. He dedicated this year's victory to the time his grandfather had spent teaching him.
While he now usually operates a grader with Bryce O'Sullivan Contractors rather than specialising in 13-ton excavators, he said this career move had given him a 'delicate touch', that may have contributed to the win.
Jones was the runner-up in the 2023 competition, and this year he took the title above a talented field of 16 competitors including defending regional champion Corey Olsen of E Carson and Sons. He will now go on to compete against 11 other regional champions, and National Excavator Operator Competition Defending Champion Troy Calteaux of Otago at Central Districts Field Days from 14-16 March.
The regional competition saw the region's top excavator operators take on challenges that included pouring a cup of tea, then lifting it from one manhole to another without spilling it. Another task is precision truck loading, all performed in front of a crowd of hundreds with a carnival--like atmosphere. Some tasks require great skill and delicacy, such as the egg challenge where competitors lift an egg with the bucket of their excavator then place it intact on top of a traffic cone.
Jamie Nicholas of Construction Contracts Limited took second place in this year's competition. Bryce O'Sullivan took out third place, successfully completing the egg challenge as a highlight on what the judges said was a very solid competition run, on his first time in the competition.
Another highlight of the event was the Tudor Distributors Barrel Filling Competition, a challenge for teams of three to see who can fill a barrel of aggregate the fastest using hand shovels. Now in its 24th year, the competition has a special chrome-coated shovel head trophy that is much coveted by the region's contractors.
Despite a strong challenge from team Total Siteworks, Jones also won the Barrel Filling Competition alongside his teammates Jono Smaha and Ryan Clarke, also of Bryce O'Sullivan Contracting.
"It feels great", said Clarke, a first-time competitor in the barrel filling competition who also navigated the course for the excavator operator competition.
"The first round we probably went too hard, the aim was a bit off, but that final round felt really good."
He said the winning strategy was simple: "You've got to aim for the barrel".
A full set of photos from the 2024 CCNZ CablePrice Wellington Wairarapa Regional Excavator Operator Competition are available on the competition Facebook page.
Crowds flocked to Brewtown to watch the operators compete
2023 champion Corey Olsen pouring a cup of tea with a 13-tonne Hitachi ZX-130 excavator
A competitor takes on the bucket pour
Jono Smaha, Ryan Clarke and Bronson Jones with Nathan Grant and his Tudor Distributors team after taking out the barrel filling competition
Check out the action from the 24th Tudor Distributors Barrel Filling Competition final
A huge thanks to our 2024 event sponsors for all their support
- Naming rights & platinum sponsor: CablePrice
- Gold sponsors: Attach2, Connexis, First
Gas, Hirepool, Humes and Z
Energy
- Silver sponsors: Milwaukee
- Bronze sponsors: beforeUdig, Civil
Trades, Contractor Magazine and Doug the Digger
- Regional sponsors: Brewtown, Daniel Renshaw Drainage, Hynds Pipe Systems, E
Carson & Sons Ltd, Construction Contracts Ltd, Goodman
Contractors Ltd, Tudor Distributors,
Juno Civil Ltd, Whiting Financial Services, Total Siteworks, Bryce O'Sullivan Contracting, Sierra Delta Civil