Northam’s Michael Currell celebrates 10-year milestone

Celebrating 10 years with the Northam branch, AFGRI Equipment service technician Michael Currell admits he still can’t sleep if he’s needing to find a fix or a solution for a job.

It’s this passion he credits for the enjoyment (or very rarely, frustration) he gets from his role. “It’s never a dull day – there is always some new challenge, and you are always learning,” Michael said. “I enjoy the freedom the job brings, you’re usually out on the road, not stuck in the workshop so it’s not the same thing day after day.” Originally from Toodyay, Michael started his apprenticeship in 2012 after receiving a call back from the Northam branch after handing in his resume. “It was something I jumped at the chance at, I had finished high school and I was looking for the right place to start my career,” he said. After completing his four-year course, Michael came into his own and enjoyed looking after customers as a field service technician. “I am very lucky to have developed good relationships with my customers,” he said. “I enjoy working with them and really trying to support their operation.” Michael also said it is the staff in Northam who have made it a great place to work over the years. “There has been a lot of changes in my time (at the dealership), but it’s always been a good workplace,” he said. “It’s the people that make it. “I also enjoy supporting our apprentices and sharing my knowledge. “We have a good bunch here, and they put in the effort to learn which is what you want. “We all work as a team so if my knowledge can help them and help us keep our customers happy, that’s a no-brainer.” AFGRI Equipment – Northam branch manager Luke Siddons said Michael’s broad range of knowledge and can-do attitude had been a real asset to the branch. “We have had some top techs in Northam, but where Michael stands out is nothing really flusters him. “If he is facing a challenging problem, he’ll patiently try and work it out without losing his cool. “He’s a real all-rounder at our branch and a lot of the team can rely on him to help with any curly questions they might have.” Michael said the most challenging part of the job was probably the long hours when the workshop is under the pump. “We do work long hours which can be challenging, but the job must be done so you just keep pushing through and supporting each other,” he said. Luke said it’s very important that hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. “10 years is a long time, and we are very glad to have had Michael at our branch,” he said. “The reason why we continue to be successful is because of guys like Michael and the hard work they put in behind the scenes that people might not see. “Especially over the last couple of years, we have had guys putting in some long hours and digging deep to make sure machines are going out, it’s really great we can recognise their efforts.” As to what’s next, Michael wants to keep building on his knowledge and experience. “I want to keep doing what I’m doing, I just love learning – I want to know everything,” he joked. “Once I was qualified, I just wanted to add to my experience and there is still plenty more to learn.” AFGRI Equipment would like to congratulate Michael for his 10 years of service at the Northam branch.