14/04/2026
About Steve
My name is Steve, and I was born on a farm near Horsham in Victoria—a place where life wasn’t easy, but it was real, honest, and full of lessons you carry forever.
Growing up, I watched my dad, Fred, fix just about anything. On our farm, nothing got thrown out without a proper go at repairing it first. If something broke, you worked it out. Wire, hay band, zip ties, a bit of scrap—whatever it took to keep things running. That mindset stuck with me. You don’t give up on things. You fix them.
Money was tight for my parents, Joan and Fred, so everyone pitched in. Dad was a sheep farmer, and from an early age I learned to shear, work hard, and do my share. Mum kept us all fed—not just the family, but the shearers too. It was a busy life, but a good one.
Dad taught me the practical skills that shaped who I am today—how to put up and repair fences, weld, use a chainsaw, drive a tractor, and service machinery. As a kid, I was already greasing equipment, changing oil, and blowing out filters to keep things going during long harvests. Fences had to be tight, gates had to swing right, and breakdowns weren’t an excuse—they were a problem to solve.
Farm life also meant hard physical work—lifting hay bales, loading trailers, clearing paddocks, digging out irrigation lines. It built strength, but more importantly, it built character.
We lived by simple rules: work comes before play, and you don’t stop until the job is done—no matter the heat, the cold, or how late it gets. I learned to think for myself, to solve problems when Dad was busy, and to respect the land that fed us. I also learned the value of a dollar—saving what you could, reusing what you had, and never wasting anything that might be useful later.
It was a hands-on upbringing—the kind where you got dirty, figured things out the hard way, and gained a “life education” no classroom could ever teach.
I left home young and started my apprenticeship through VACC as a mechanic, specialising in transmissions. I spent many years in the trade before making a change about 30 years ago, moving into teaching with AGA. For over two decades, I trained apprentices—not just how to fix cars, but how to think, problem-solve, and take pride in their work.
One of the biggest lessons my dad ever gave me was this: if you don’t have the right tool, make one. That’s something I still live by today. I’ve built up a large workshop at home, complete with a lathe, where I can make or modify just about anything I need. I’ve always been willing to have a crack—because most things can be worked out if you’re prepared to try.
After COVID, I decided it was time to put a lifetime of skills into something of my own. That’s how Berwick Maintenance Services began.
These days, I help people with all those jobs that need doing—big or small. If I can fix it, I will. And if I can’t, I’ll do my best to find someone who can. That’s just how I was raised.
If you need a hand, feel free to reach out for a free quote.
📧 [email protected]
📞 0493 162 412
No job too small.
