November 1^st, 1999                                         

Astoria Honda cleans up in Technician Awards

Victorian dealer Astoria Honda has made a clean sweep of the 1999 Honda Technician of the Year awards.

George Tsakanias was named 1999 Honda Technician of the Year, while Scott Kelly was awarded 1999 Honda Apprentice of the Year.

Tsakanias received the award in Melbourne after a day of rigorous competition against nine other top Honda technicians from around Australia.

He and 1998 Honda Technician of the Year Shaun Gleeson, also from Astoria Honda, both win a trip to New Zealand to compete in next year’s Honda Asia Oceania Technician Convention.

A Honda technician for 11 years, Tsakanias, 34, has worked at Astoria Honda for the last nine. It is the first time that he has reached the finals of the TOTY awards since its inception in 1992.

The East Bentleigh technician scored top points in a series of theoretical and practical examinations set by Honda Australia’s training department. The finalists were selected from 86 Honda dealerships across Australia.

Scott Kelly, 18, joined Astoria Honda in 1998 and will complete his apprenticeship in Year 2001.

Honda Australia’s General Manager Customer Services, Lindsay Smalley, said the competition gave Honda Australia the opportunity to formally acknowledge and reward skills of the Honda technicians.

"The Honda Technician of the Year is a fantastic opportunity for Honda technicians to showcase their level of commitment and knowledge to the Honda product. They should all be proud of their achievements," he said.

Other finalists were David Faulkner (second - Warren Von Bibra Gold Coast Honda, Qld), Parma Nand (third - Rick Damelian Honda, NSW), Adrian Amato (Travis Honda, Vic), Peter Horn (Scotts Honda, NSW), Tony Keenan (Josh Sady Honda, Vic), Steven Keown (Northside Honda, Qld), Justin Sharpe (Nordic Honda, SA), Roger Smith (Burswood Honda, WA), Mark Turner (Homsby Honda, NSW).