Daryle Bell recently reached a major career milestone.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
For decades, the machinery of the Goulburn Valley has had a dependable constant behind the scenes: Daryle Bell.
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Known for his expertise in repairing pumps, electric motors and industrial equipment, Mr Bell has spent a lifetime keeping businesses, factories and farms across the region running.
What many may not know is that on Thursday, February 5, he marked a major milestone — 50 years in the trade.
“It’s something that creeps up on you, really, because you just keep doing what you like doing and then suddenly there it is and you go, ‘Oh jeez, that long!’” Mr Bell said.
His career began almost by chance.
After leaving school, Mr Bell worked briefly at the local abattoirs before they closed, leaving him between jobs.
That’s when his father and uncle, who had started the family business, Bells Electric Motors, made a suggestion.
“They said, ‘How would you like to be an apprentice?’” he said.
“I’m like, nothing else to do, may as well.”
At the time, the trade — then known as electrical fitter and armature wind-up — was a rare one.
“When I did my apprenticeship, there were only four people in the top half of Victoria and the lower half of NSW doing it,” he said.
Bells Electric Motors originally operated from Friars St in Shepparton before moving to Old Dookie Rd in the mid-1980s.
The old Bells Electric Motors sign leans against the fence at A1 Electric Motors.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Mr Bell worked there for 39 and a half years before the business was sold to A1 in 2015, where he has spent the past 10 and a half years continuing the same work under a new banner.
While the core skills remain, Mr Bell said the job had changed dramatically over time.
“I used to be rewinding two to three motors a day; now I do two to three motors a month,” he said.
“The rest of it’s all just maintenance — new bearings, seals and that sort of stuff.
“I’ve had jobs I fixed 20 years ago, and all they’re doing is coming back in for some bearings, and then I send them back out again for another 20 years.
“Fix them once and fix them right.”
This does not mean that the local tradie is not busy.
Quite the opposite, actually.
These days, Mr Bell is training the next generation — a full-circle moment, 50 years after he himself stood at the workbench as a young apprentice guided by his father and uncle.
“I’d like to thank my uncle and my dad for putting that work ethic into me,” he said.
“They set me on the right path, taught me, and they’re the reason why I’m still doing the job.”
Daryle Bell’s career has come full circle, from apprentice to mentor.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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