four generations in the gas industry
In April of this year, Joshua Ellul joined APA and became the fourth generation of his family to join the South Australia gas industry.
In April of this year, Joshua Ellul joined the Networks Team at APA as a first responder and metering technician based out of Adelaide.
He is the fourth generation of his family to join the gas industry in South Australia, following in the footsteps of his great nannu, Angelo Ellul, his nannu, Charlie Ellul, and his father, Tony Ellul. Collectively, the Ellul family has been part of the industry for nearly seven decades.
Angelo Ellul started working with SAGASCO as a labourer around 1955 and remained with the company until 1977.
Charlie Ellul commenced with SAGASCO as a driver/welder in 1973 and retired in 1996.
Tony Ellul started working for SAGASCO as a labourer in 1984 and is still going strong. He is now Supervisor Regional Networks based out of Mildura, and he is proud as punch to see his son join the industry.
Did you always want to follow your father and nannu into the gas industry?
To be honest I never thought I would follow the both of them in the gas industry until my father told me that it might be good to apply for a job with SAGASCO.
My father enjoyed his job. In those days, it was working with uncles, cousins and extended family. Having a Maltese heritage, I knew a lot of my father’s friends which made it a good environment to work in and made it enjoyable as well.
Did they ever talk about their jobs with you or take you to their work site? If so, is there any particular story or memory that sticks in your mind?
My father would always talked about work and he always had a smile on his face, which goes to show how good a company it was to work for.
When my father was on call on the weekends, I would have been 10-12 years old, he would take me along for a ride in the truck somewhere around Adelaide to go and repair a gas leak. His instructions were clear as I remember them well “Do not leave the truck, OK”. It used to fascinate me that these men would dig for hours by hand to locate the gas leak and would still enjoy what they do and do it all again for the next gas leak.
As for a particular memory, there are probably too many to mention but I did enjoy working with my father, he taught me a lot and I do miss him very much. He would have been very proud to know that my son Joshua now works with APA.
After nearly four decades in the gas industry, what do you love most about it?
What do I love about working in the gas industry? After nearly 40 years in the industry and four company names, it has always been a good company to work for. I have definitely had my good days and had my bad days, but I still enjoy coming to work.
I have met a lot of good people and made a lot of friends and some unforgettable characters, whether they are work colleges or contractors, especially since I have been working with them for nearly two-thirds of my life.
Your son has followed in your footsteps. Why do you think that is?
Joshua is a plumber/gas fitter and that is what I wanted him to pursue, but he wanted change. So Joshua began looking for change and saw a job advertised and began working for one of APA‘s contractors. He enjoyed the work and when the opportunity came to work for APA, he took it and now employed as a first response and metering technician in Networks. Joshua knows that APA is a good company to work for and has a good safety culture.
What are your hopes for his career?
APA will give Joshua every opportunity to further his career, but it will be up to him to pursue this. I guess I started as a labourer, trench cutter, team leader, and currently Regional Supervisor Networks Mildura, so there are opportunities if you want to pursue them.
Do you hope to see a fifth generation of the Ellul family enter the gas industry?
With three grand kids and one on the way, you never know what the future brings, but a fifth generation Ellul in the gas industry does sound good.
