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10 | iNarrabri Magazine | November 2016
Where are you originally from?
I was born in Sydney but we moved here to
Narrabri when I was two years of age and lived
on the farm up until I was about nineteen.
Mum and Dad were farming out near Baan
Baa, growing fruit trees and running cattle.
Mum was a nurse in Sydney and Dad was run-
ning a scrap metal yard but they had bought a
block out here years before and then decided
to move.
In your final years of school, what did you see
yourself doing?
Well I did work experience when I was in Year
10 with Robert Young and then I started there
as a school based trainee. Growing up, we were
always doing a bit of mechanical work on the
farm and I enjoyed this. My Grandfather was a
diesel mechanic so I guess it runs in the blood!
What did you do prior to starting your own
business?
I worked at Robert Young’s for six years and
worked for Noel Bourke for nine months be-
fore moving out to Nyngan for five or six years
where I worked as an underground fitter in a
copper mine. Nyngan is where I met Shiralee.
So what was the catalyst for starting your
own business?
While working out at Nyngan, Shiralee and I
built a house here in Narrabri. Having had our
first baby and with another on the way, it was
pretty hard for Shiralee with me still working
in Nyngan, so I decided to work out at Maules
Creek at the start of this year. With my roster,
photo: John Burgess
Feature
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DWC Mechanical
With twelve years experience behind him and
a young and growing family, Dean Cook has
started his own business “DWC Mechanical”.
Like all new businesses, you start without
customers, but 5 months down the track,
Dean is a lot closer to his goal...
there was opportunity for me to start up my
own shop in my time off, and I would like to
do this full time. That’s my aim. To get this
business going so that I am busy every day
and successful enough to be able to pay the
bills and spend as much time as I can with my
family.
What does DWC Mechanical offer?
Mechanical repairs and servicing for all makes
and models. New car warranty servicing, Pink
Slips, Blue Slips... I am accredited as an RTA
Gas Vehicle Examiner so I can do gas regos. I
can do farm call outs and offer a drop off/pick
up service. I am also available to do weekend
work, if someone needs it.
When you start out as a new business, you
start out without any customers. That’s why
I am offering cheaper rates at the moment
even though I have twelve years experience.
I think new customers will find that I have a
very good attitude in that I am willing to do
anything for them as I am just starting out...
anything to help... and I am happy to go out of
my way for anyone.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I suppose ... just fixing problems. You know,
the customer comes in, they have a problem,
I get it fixed, put a smile on their face and
they’re a lot happier.
What is an aspect that you least enjoy?
I don’t know... um... (Shiralee suggests “smell-
ing like grease and hydraulic oil!”) ... yeah I
guess ... hydraulic oil especially, it stinks!
What is a tool you couldn’t do without?
Rattle gun. It just makes everything easier
being air operated. There is no wrist work
involved!
What is the best advice you have been given?
I suppose that this would have been given to
me by Robert Young. “Work hard while you
are young. Don’t wait until you get too old!”
If you weren’t doing this, what would you like
to have a go at?
Um, this is a tough one. I always wanted to
join the police force when I was much younger
but that would be about it, I suppose.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Hang out with my family and spend time with
our little girl Savannah (age two). I used to
play footy back in the day but not any more. I
still do a bit of shooting, but that’s about it.