Parts technicians aren't typically known for their musical skills, but second-year apprentice Lauren Lester is bringing her orchestral background to a job which requires every team member to be singing from the same song sheet.
The 2026 John Deere Apprentice Parts Technician of the Year first started at RDO as a high-school student working part-time in reception on weekends and school holidays. Following school, she initially enrolled in a teaching degree, before realising her career was at RDO.
In addition to helping keep RDO customers up and running, she also continues to perform with community orchestras and jazz groups.
Lauren said she applies her orchestral skills to her role within a busy team environment of 37 technicians and apprentices, 12 field technicians and seven service coordinators.
"When you're playing in a band, you can't have percussions, brass and woodwinds all playing at different tempos and different speeds, and it's the same in our parts team.
"If we're not doing our job, we can't get the customers the parts they need to fix their machines and get harvesting or planting, so it's important we all work together to get the whole operation moving.
"I get to work quite closely with the experienced technicians, and I'm learning so much from watching them complete a variety of jobs from services to component rebuilds, getting to see machines in pieces and how parts wear and fail.
"I strongly believe experienced, reliable parts interpreters play a critical role. My favourite part is seeing the machine roll out of the shed when it's all repaired."
Leading Hand of RDO Toowoomba's Workshop Parts Department, Darren Canning, said Lauren is a humble team player who isn't afraid of taking on new challenges.
"We have a large workshop and it can get very hectic for long periods of time, but Lauren is determined to supply the right parts at the right time to keep customers satisfied," Darren said.
In future Lauren would like to combine her love of learning, her desire to teach and her growing knowledge of machinery by becoming a trainer for up-and-coming technicians just like her.