The family that welds together stays together, according to Ashley Turner, Jarrad James, and kids Luna Turner, 4, and Sol Turner, 2.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
By the time Sol Turner is 15, the minimum age to start an apprenticeship, he’ll already have 13 years experience on the tools.
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Not officially, of course – he’s only two.
But try telling that to the internet.
The nicknamed ‘Baby Tradie’ is the youngest member of the James-Turner Engineering clan, a new family welding and fabrication business in Dookie run by Ashley Turner and Jarrad ‘Chooka’ James.
And unless you’ve sworn off the internet entirely, odds are you’ve seen the video.
Posted on the business’s social media on Sunday, November 9, the now-viral reel captures the bright crackle of MIG welding – sparks scattering, more than one pair of gloved hands steady.
When the sparks die out, a helmet, far too small for an adult, is lifted and out beams a grin so impossibly proud it could melt steel faster than the welder.
Jarrad James gives Dookie’s littlest welder Sol Turner, 2, a hand.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
The moment was a mere seven-second burst, but online, it exploded.
“We woke up the next morning (after posting the reel) and it was at about 100,000 views – it gobsmacked us,” Ashley said.
“The next minute it was 500,000, and people all over the world were loving it.”
At last count, Sol’s cameo had racked up 2.5 million views.
As for the comments?
“It gives me goosebumps,” Ashley said.
“So many people have commented things like ‘I can’t wait to do this with my kids’, but other people have said, ‘This makes me miss my dad’ or ‘I wish I had a dad’.”
Sol Turner, 2, and sister Luna Turner, 4, on smoko.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
The spotlight on the business has transcended a mere feel-good moment; it’s shown the world the deep-rooted charm that pulses through the town’s quaint streets each day.
For Ashley and Chooka, the move to Dookie was a delightful shift from the frenetic pace of their former lives in Melbourne and Echuca, respectively, and they sing nothing but praise for its community.
“Dookie has been really good to us,” Chooka said.
“We’ve done quite a few jobs for our local residents here, built really good customer relationships.
“I’ve involved myself with the Men’s Shed, and there’s also going to be a Sheila’s Shed … for anyone who wants to learn how to weld or use an angle grinder.
“We want to make sure that we’re active in our community, be a part of our community, and help it build and grow as well.”
JTE Dookie’s services aren’t bound to their town.
The business provides precision welding and structural steel solutions for agriculture, construction, and industry across Shepparton, Echuca, and beyond.
Ashley handles the content; Chooka handles “just about everything else”.
“I do everything from start to finish – the quoting, going to see the customers, this, that, and the other, putting it all together, and away we go,” Chooka said.
Away they go indeed – most likely with their unofficial apprentice-in-waiting in tow.
For more information about James-Turner Engineering, located at 16 Williamson St, Dookie, call 0433 875 340, email admin@jtedookie.com, or visit their website at jtedookie.com
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