My Big Baby
Jackie in the hotseat 
Jackie McDaid 
On the dig
Next to interview is Caoimhe Moore. Caoimhe is a local lass and she was born and reared in Dungiven. She started working here in January 2019. Before starting here, she was a customer service agent for a broadband provider. You could say operating heavy machinery was always in her blood as her father and uncles ran a plant hire firm.
As a young girl she used to watch in awe as diggers were tracked onto low loaders and dispatched to jobs across the UK. She loved to get the hands dirty at a young age and hop in the cab of the machines. Her father was not too keen for her to get involved in the industry, but she had a point to prove. She is immensely proud of the fact that she is the first female in her family to operate construction machinery for a living.
Whilst sitting down with her and having this chat it is evident that Caoimhe is ambitious and her ultimate goal is to become a supervisor. She currently operates Rollers and ADTs for Wills and is currently working towards her ticket to become an excavator operator. Presently she operates a Volvo A40G ADT or her ‘Big Baby’ as Caoimhe likes to call it. I ask her to describe her typical day.
“I get in bright and early and take my time to do my pre-start checks. I check all the oil levels and give the machine a thorough looking over before the shift gets going. I like to warm it up a bit before I start moving and gradually ease the machine into the working pattern. My foreman usually tells me what is on the agenda for the day and what diggers I will be loaded by. There is a great variety and it is not just driving a dumper. I am always asking the other operators questions. I want to know why the dozer driver is doing what he is doing. I want to know why this material is going there and why so much is needed. I am constantly trying to learn about the job. I really want to work my way up and I think all this knowledge I am gaining will really help me with my goals. I am incredibly grateful of the opportunity Wills Bros have given me and they are great to work for. The lads are great to work with and hopefully I will be working with them all for many a year”, concluded Caoimhe.
