Profile: Sally “Sal” Mewett

Sport:        Burnouts | Activity:    Engineering & Exhaust Business Manager

Sally is a very inspirational lady who runs Marshall Engineering & Exhaust in Ararat. The staff consist of her, her partner Pete and their junior staff member. They are known as being the best welders in Ararat district and are absolutely flat out (at most times swamped) with work which comes in from repeat customers and word of mouth. They work on cars, bikes, farm machinery, trailers, engines… you never know what you are going to see taking shape in their shop, including some of Sally’s more arty metal garden art designs, sculptures and motorsport trophies!

Sally was also the first woman to have ever driven Beat the Heat Victoria’s Smokey Five (the VZSS drags and Hillclimb car) as Marshalls fitted the exhaust and side pipes that made Smokey Five sound like a supercar last winter. When Sally drove the car around the carpark and was told she was the first woman to drive it, she said ‘Its just a car?!’ and it was exactly that “Its just a car” mantra that got Dani (from Beat the Heat Victoria) to have a go at driving the louder and more powerful BTH cars! “Its just a car” indeed!

It’s Just a Car!!!

Sally can probably blame her partner Pete for her love of anything V8 and loud, and one of these days she dreams of doing a better burnout “skid” than him, although perhaps not on Billet Show wheels (even if it was only a small test skid) – but that’s an embarrassing moment for another day.

But in all seriousness, she just loves to be involved with all forms of motorsport, with a special love of working in the industry and seeing different people come through the workshop each day. “I love helping make their ideas come to life.” Not one to be afraid of jumping in where it’s required in the workshop, Sally also has a farming background and working in the mines driving those massive D11 bulldozers, so even though she runs the office and admin, she is also pretty good at using all the machinery at Marshalls Engineering & Exhaust.

“I love working in an industry like this.” Sally tells us that it’s the hands-on and variety of tasks that keep her interested. “After all, we know that girls can do anything … I think engineering is a great career and its a lot of fun!”