Maintenance wizard Matt Morgan has taken out the inaugural Northern Stevedoring Services Employee Excellence award.
The ceremony was held at The Ville last night (Wed 17Sept25) night with board members, customers managers and staff in attendance.
Main image: Matt Morgan presented with his winning cheque. l-r Todd Emmert NSS Director), Matt Morgan, Mark George (NSS GM), Don Smithwick (NSS Director)
In what’s was described as his typical humble style Matt said he accepted the award on behalf of all staff.
“It’s really not an effort,” Matt told the audience.
“My part is about the people around me that really make what we can do a better thing.
Related: Employee Awards strike a chord with NSS staff
“So it’s not really an honour towards me, it’s an honour towards the rest of the company I think. And we work around a lot of amazing people at NSS. Thank you.”
The recognition included a $5000 cheque.
Other awards on the night include Safety and Innovation and Customer Service which were taken out by Gary Abraham and Darrin ‘Skinny’ Thomas respectively. They each accepted a $500 cheque.
Matt’s efforts to convert new half-height lids to conform with the existing lifting system saved NSS and customers significant expense said General Manager Mark George. He was tradesman on top of his brief Mark said.
“Enter Matt — who didn’t just fix it, he led the charge, designed, and installed interchangeable hooks to make the lid lifter compatible with the entire fleet. Problem solved. Expense reduced. And all done in record time.
“Matt’s the kind of bloke who turns a logistical nightmare into a workshop win — and still makes it to the 19th hole before sunset.
“Let’s give it up for Matt Morgan — the man who proves that with a bit of grit, a lot of skill , anything’s possible!”
Darrin Thomas better known as ‘Skinny’ set the standard by completing a ‘staggering amount of side loader drops in 1 day – 17 in total’, Mark said.
“This ensured deliveries were made on time and a lot of happy customers. Skinny consistently exceeds daily targets for side loader deliveries especially with high volume of jobs coming in on a weekly basis.
“Since taking the role of team leader – Transport, Skinny has completed a variety of roles including helping induct new drivers and following NSS policies and procedures at all times. Skinny is a great asset to the NSS and Transport team.”
Gary Abraham was recognised for his ability to think out of the box to address problems challenging the business.
An example cited at the awards by master of ceremonies Mark George came with work adopted from Qube to transport copper metal from and sometimes to Copper Refineries based at Stuart in the southern part of the city.
“Gary Abraham has developed a solution for re-strapping broken copper bundles by designing copper cradles that can assist in securing bundles safely for re-strapping.”
“Gary has also been great assistance in sharing his wealth of knowledge as an advanced rigger in helping improve the working at heights training and showing his interest as a workplace trainer.
“He has also been vital in risk assessing emergency procedure for the MHC.”
Comedian Indy C provided entertainment on the night.