SHOWCASE
Will’s son, Fenwick George, trained
as an electrician and was appointed
manager of the company in 1957,
a position he held until his death
in 1966.
He was succeeded by Arthur’s second
son Noel Cresswell, who became a
registered electrician in 1951.
Current business owners, Dave Noad
and John Mackey, both trained in the
trade under Noel, who invited them
to buy into the business 40 years ago.
“Like grandad’s axe, the business has
had four handles and three heads,”
says John. “It looks a bit different than
the original, but it’s still going strong
and doing a good job.”
Dave has worked at Cresswell
Electrical for 47 years and John 44
years, and they wouldn’t change it for
the world.
“I enjoy the work and the challenge
of wiring up a place,” says Dave.
“Whether it be a home or a big
commercial job, I still get a real
buzz flicking the switch and seeing
it light up.”
When they first started as fresh-faced
apprentices, Cresswell Electrical was
one of the only electricians in town.
Now there are dozens of local
contractors in Marlborough and half
of them gained their experience and
qualification through apprenticeships
with Cresswell Electrical.
Apprenticeships continue to be an
import ant part of running a successful
business says Dave, with four
apprentices currently learning the
trade with the Cresswell team.
Cresswell fleet in the 1960s
Contrary to popular belief, electricians
need to be ‘switched on’ with a strong
grasp of maths and physics, plenty
of common sense and a head for
problem-solving, Dave says.
In the modern age of smartphones,
where the controls for home heating
and lighting are literally at our
fingertips, it is easy to forget the
technical work that goes on behind
the scenes and the technology behind
the walls.
But driving around the region and
seeing the bright lights shining in
shops and home windows still brings
a warm glow to Dave and John, whose
eyes light up with enthusiasm as they
recall some of the jobs they’ve worked
on over the years.
Some of these include Waihopai
Spy Base, Mt Robertson Radar
Station, Blenheim Sewage Treatment
Plant, various wineries including
Marlborough’s first winery Montana
Wines, Pak ‘n Save, just to name a few.
Loading gear onto the D'urville Island barge in 1999
“It makes me feel proud,” says Dave.
“Old, but proud.”
One of the highlights of their career
was hooking up the isolated farms
in the Awatere Valley to power in
the 1980s. Previously, stations such
as Middlehurst, Upcot, Muller and
Molesworth had powered their
homes, shearing sheds and cottages
with generators.
Then there are the places they’ve
worked in out-of-town including
D’urville Island, Chatham Island,
Jacksons Bay and Eua airport in Tonga.
While every day is different and every
job is different, there are some things
at Cresswell Electrical that don’t
change, John says.
“We do things right and we always
follow through - we’ll be sticking
around for a few years yet, so
it’s important to do right by our
customers and the community.”
On site at the Waihopai Spy Base in the 1990s
www.cresswellelectrical.co.nz | 24-hour electrician hotline: 03 5787247
[email protected] | 3 Stuart Street, Blenheim
17