The foundations for Bruno's Batteries were built back in 1958 when Italian immigrant Bruno De Lai started hand making hard rubber case batteries. He did this from his shed at night and on weekends. During daylight hours he worked at Lawson’s sawmill in Mareeba (recently demolished). With quality, comes demand and within a few short years Bruno saw an opportunity, and resigned from the sawmill to open his own Business “Bruno’s Mareeba Batteries”. It was first registered in 1967, and operating from a shed in the back yard of the family home. He soon needed to expand the premises to cater for an ever growing customer base, and in coming years required a further three extensions.
In 1970 Bruno’s son John De Lai started work in the family business, forming the next generation. They carried on working together for the next 28years, until Bruno passed away in 1988. John stayed on running the family business, and over the next 10 years, took on several dealerships including Solarex (now Bp Solar) and Jaycar Electronics. This was the start of something new.
The decision was made to build new premises on Byrnes St and move out of the back yard shed. This was the start of “Outback Solar & Wind”, and a new era for “Bruno’s”. The Grand opening of the two new stores on the 1st of May 1999 proved to be a huge success. The winning combination of a one stop electronics shop, combined with a one stop battery shop, created a unique experience that made the most difficult of problems seem easy.
Outback Solar has moved into a 3rd generation when John’s son Cameron De Lai has taken over the business. With the well trained, dedicated team who are able to supply and install almost everything they sell, and a massive range of available product. The place is sure to carry on with its success. They have a preference for Australian made product where available, and carry a lot of the big name brands in stock and ready for purchase.
If you have any Battery or Solar questions don’t hesitate to give us a call or send an email. We are always prepared to give out some helpful information, and quite often end up having a chat about a recent fishing trip or giving advice on nice places to visit or camp. They really just love helping people. It’s the family business difference.