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Team of bright sparks first in line for prize

Published on October 30^th 2009, 12:18pm

The team of Jimmy Cudd, George Jonathan, Carl Cotter and trainee mechanic James Murphy made up the Northpower Hawke’s Bay team which was managed by Ray Williams.

The team scored the best overall average in a series of preliminary events to make the finals of the ESITO Annual Connections Line Mechanic and Cable Jointers Competitions.

The competitions challenged teams of four line mechanics to demonstrate good work practices for completing jobs safely and efficiently.

Northpower’s Whangarei team took second place in the competition.

It was all down to solid preparation and plenty of practice - often in their own time, the members said.

“It’s been a pleasure to watch this team grow and come together over the past couple of weeks,” Northpower Hawke’s Bay area manager William Green said.

“We went there with the aim of being one of the top three finalists. But we really blitzed them. The boys were really stoked,” team manager Ray Williams said.

Mr Green paid tribute to the work put in by Mr Williams who kept the team focused and determined despite not actually winning any of the preliminary events - although they maintained a high average result to make the finals.

Designed to test the competitors’ ability to follow safe and efficient work practices, teams competed in nine events including pole and earth bank installations, identifying cable faults, operating a crane and rescuing a mannequin from the top of an 11-metre pole in two minutes.

The final required the top three teams to build an overhead distribution line and install and connect an underground distribution service in just four hours.

The Northpower Hawke’s Bay team cam in to win with just one and a half minutes to spare.

Mr Williams also paid tribute to team leader Mr Cudd who, he said, showed strong leadership, planning and communication skills.

All three strengths were something Mr Cudd had also displayed during his top-flight footballing years with Napier City Rovers.

The competition is an annual showcase of the skills power linemen rely on to keep electricity supplies flowing to businesses and homes throughout the country. Mr Green said he was proud to be part of the winning team.

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