Putting runs on the board with the team
Usually, a trifecta is a good thing, unless you're playing cricket for a new club in a new town and get three ducks in a row, including the Grand Final, and the club creates the Damian Aspinall Duck Award.
"It's just a fun thing and at least I scored a few runs in my second season," said Damian, who plays cricket, rugby union and golf outside his work at RDO Equipment in Roma, in southwest Queensland.
Being around earthmoving equipment is something Damian feels like he's been doing forever.
When he was a small boy, Damian's grandfather sold his farm to buy an earthmoving equipment business in the small town of Richmond in Queensland where Damian spent much of his childhood.
He got his first taste of John Deere equipment during an apprenticeship with the local Council when they added a 770G grader to the fleet before moving to Roma and starting at the local RDO Equipment dealership.
"I've always loved graders, you know, a lot of people associate John Deere with agriculture but without their construction machinery you wouldn't have ag, because there would be no roads to cart the grain on," he said.
"Not every day is the same. One day you can be on a grader and the next on a loader and not all the problems are the same either. You get a good variety, and a good challenge."
Being a mentor and role model to young apprentices to help them reach their potential is a key driver for Damain and was an integral part of his acceptance speech.
"By receiving this award, I hope to inspire up and coming apprentices and technicians to get involved and to continue to contribute to an industry that we are all passionate about," Damian said.
He also paid tribute to the strength and camaraderie of his friends and colleagues in Roma, where he said everyone relies on and learns from each other.
"The spotlight should be shed on my team. Without them, I wouldn't be here," he said.