ALFRED Finau has proven he's a forklift master, taking out this year's Forklift Operator of the Year at the Brisbane Markets on October 27.
Mr Finau claimed the title after a hotly contested grand final which saw the top 10 contestants battle it out over a timed, practical course, losing precious seconds for every error they made.
Mr Finau, who works for Costa Farms, took out the top prize of $3000, with a spectacular final time of 3 minutes and 40 seconds.
Futi Naea from Romeo's Marketing came second with a time of 4 minutes and 14 seconds, scoring $1500 for his efforts.
Competition stalwart, Ziggy Chmielarski from Murray Bros, who has only ever missed one event over the years, walked away with a time of 4 minutes and 30 seconds, securing him third place and $500.
After coming third last year, the win was personal for Mr Finau who had the goal of securing the title so that he can go head-to-head with his brother Na'a, who won the event in 2019.
"When Na'a won, he shared his winnings with me, so now I get to repay the favour," he said.
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"Last year, I let the pressure get to me and missed a few key things which cost me points. This year I was more composed and strived to stay focused on the job at hand.
"I look forward to entering again next year so that I can battle it out with Na'a to see which of us really is the best forklift operator in the family."
The event is hosted by Brisbane Markets Limited, with the support of event sponsors Toyota Material Handling, The Drug Detection Agency, SBP Australia and Brismark.
Brisbane Markets is home to the largest concentration of forklifts on any site in Queensland with 386 registered forklifts and 1,072 forklift operator permits active on site.
Originally launched to promote forklift safety, the competition has steadily gained traction and is now a fan-favourite fixture in the Brisbane Produce Market events calendar.
Forklift operators participated in a month-long observation period, where they were scored on their adherence to safety and traffic rules on the Brisbane Markets site.
After collating more than 1000 scoresheets, the entrants were narrowed down to the top 10 who competed in the grand final obstacle course in front of the crowd that gathered within the Brisbane Produce Market to watch the spectacle.
Mr Finau encouraged other forklift operators to get involved in the event, even if they feel nervous.
"I've been working at Brisbane Markets for 15 years and I only just built up the courage to enter last year, but now I think everyone should just give it a go," he said.
The Brisbane Produce Market records annual trade in excess of 700 million kilograms of produce valued at more than $2 billion.
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