How much practice and preparation and swot do you need to do to walk off with a national title?
None ... if you're Clive's Brett Hollyman.
At last weekend's National Excavator Operator Competition, staged at Feilding, the 39-year-old took out the title of the land's best mover of land for the second
time in as many years - becoming the first driver to win it two years in a row.
When he won the 2009 title, he also became the first Hawke's Bay operator to achieve the New Zealand Contractors' Federation blue riband title.
Not bad going for a bloke who hasn't been at the controls of a digger for a long time.
"I'm in a management role now - so I didn't do any preparation," Mr Hollyman said.
He simply went to defend his title and just jumped in the 12-tonne excavator and got stuck in, challenging enough in itself as he hadn't driven a 12-tonne job before.
It was suggested he was "a natural".
"Some people have said that ... I dunno ... I just jump in and get the feel for the controls and the hydraulics and that's it."
The competition wove in everything from planning and project management, regulations, knowledge in health and safety and land transport issues, first aid and putting the excavator through a range of activities.
There was an obstacle course and tasks such as manoeuvring over gas lines, traversing a trench and lifting and replacing a manhole cover perfectly.
Then there was the more unusual pursuit of using the massive scoop to pick up an egg from a pile of sand and balance it on the bottom of a cup.
As well as the national title trophy, Mr Hollyman walked away with the silverware in the One Day Job category.
Of course taking the title again leads to the prospect of defending it again.
Did that mean getting away from the management desk at Contrax Technical Services in Hastings for a spot of practice.
"No, I did nothing for this one - I'll just head down there when the time comes."
