Stephen with Steve Smith at the Alvey Flagship Store, Gowings Coffs Central, Coffs Harbour NSW, January 2015 www.alveyden.com
Book Review
Review May – tbc
Classic Angling
Book Review
ALVEY – A HISTORY
Fish & Boat Magazine April 2025
Dr. Stephen Duffield has put together a fascinating, detailed and must have book for any avid Alvey angler in Australia and indeed abroad. The opus concentrates on Charles Alvey and son over 104 years. It also includes a comprehensive and informative guide providing value and other notes on Alvey Reels from 1920 – 2024. The finished product is over 500 pages of information and photographs, 1000 individual reels and over 2000 images. Duffield, who incidentally was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2015, worked on this project for 12 hours a day for the last three years.
Bruce John Alvey provides a wonderful ‘Foreward’ which sets the scene nicely and summarises the Alvey ride to date. Floods, failures, heartache, retirements and deaths all built the Alvey family that supported the company 100%. One staff member, a Mr. Warren Russell, proudly served the company for 52 years, with many others coming close to that mark!
Charles Alvey was born in Birmingham, England in 1865. He migrated to Australia in 1911 to begin a new life and was followed by his wife Edith and their children in 1912 on the 77 day journey to Australia. After a lengthy series of assorted employment Charles began work as a fishing reel repairer in Brisbane in 1917. At this point he decided there needs to be a better way to catch fish so he set about designing a side cast reel along with his son Ken. Alvey Reels was born!
Initially in a basic shed next to the family home Charles and Ken knocked out around 20 reels a week. By 1925 the demand had increased significantly. Profits were returned to the business to increase production and the purchase of a Capstan Lathe was the turning point. Ken came up with the longstanding catchphrase ‘It’s the Alvey Reel that Fills the Creel’ and he also designed the Alvey trademark.
Sidecast reels are many and varied and the book explains this in great detail. The Alvey range of reels was such a success that ‘Look-a-Likes’ began to appear on the market. Sadly the fishing industry is rife with this behaviour. However, the brand survived!
Alvey reels were iconic and initially referred to as a ‘beach’ reel. These days they are used for all manner of angling pursuits including bait fishing in estuaries, live bait reels, bottom bashing offshore and even for cast and retrieve lure fishing!
Alvey reels are famous across the globe for their simple functionality, longevity and ease of use. They require little maintenance and in some ways this is a negative! If you have any interest in the history of angling in Australia, the formative years of Alvey reels and the amazing and rich history of the famous Alvey reels this book is for you. It is packed with information, stories and a comprehensive Product Value Guide for collectors!
Supplements to the book will be released often as the author notes ’No history is ever complete’! For copies of A History of CHARLES ALVEY and SON ALVEY REELS AUSTRALIA REEL ICON visit www.alveyden.com.au or Alvey Den on Facebook. Congratulations Dr. Duffield on this masterpiece!
“Thank you very much for the beautiful and well done Alvey Reels book!! It is spectacular in the way it was produced, and the photos and information are priceless!!!”
TH, Florida, USA
“Book arrived safely. Thank you so much Stephen and it’s a work of art and an amazing document”
IR, VIC
“What an amazing bit of literature. Fantastic work Stephen. Congratulations to you and all that contributed. Lots of days ahead of reading”
BP, QLD
“Thank you, Stephen Duffield and your team. What an amazing, beautifully researched, detailed record of an Australian manufacturing business icon. Fascinating stories, documents and images. The definitive guide”
BL, NSW
“Well done, absolutely, put together so well. My husband said that he would not see me for a week once my book arrived, he was right. My head has been nowhere else”
KS, QLD
“What an amazing amount of work that you have done to achieve this valued production. I very much appreciate you adding a little of my history with the company along with many of my fellow workers and friends. We certainly produced a lot of fishing reels among other products as well as some of which I was aware of but not to the extent of what you have written”
JMcC, NSW
“It is amazing. So much work put into this book I am reading it from cover to cover. My family are very proud of me being mentioned with photos”
WR, QLD
“What a great surprise and spectacular resource”
CL, QLD
“Congrats on a great piece of reference material. Great job… flicking through the book I was amazed on how much info was in there. No doubt other pieces of information will come out of the woodwork once people start reading the book but all in all a job well done”
A McK, QLD
“… superb effort in producing this book. It’s just arrived, and my first impression is just beautiful!! I’m going to enjoy reading it!”
B McD, QLD
“So much to read, only part into it and all a great read. It evokes so many memories of my fishing life, like the 650 D3 I bought for $70 from David Jones sports Department in 1975!”
ST, QLD
“It’s been a long road, but from your photos with your email it seems that you have created something truly outstanding – a treasure of Australian history, just like the reels contained within it. Well done!”
ST, QLD
“You are doing an amazing job & so many thanks to you for bringing this to a conclusion. What you have achieved under difficult circumstances is amazing & we all thank you so much”
IR, VIC
“A definitive comprehensive guide on everything Alvey. A must have for collectors and fishing aficionados. Mine arrived on Christmas Eve. Thank you, Santa (Stephen)!”
BL, NSW
“…it’s a tremendous book. A life’s work of meticulous detail.
BC, QLD
The Alvey Bible!”
“A big thank you to Stephen Duffield on putting together such a wonderful book. I received it Christmas Eve, but the wife took it straight off me & wrapped it for Christmas Day! Looking forward to reading it in its entirety. And a big thank you for mentioning this group, I really appreciate it”
BW, QLD
“…absolutely stunned by the detail involved in producing this niche market masterpiece!”
CJ, QLD
“Thanks, a mill. Am going to open it & get right into it when we set up camp on boxing day”
ST, QLD
“Congratulations on producing such a great reference to the history of Alvey reels. Awesome job”
AB, QLD
“I’ve only had a quick look, but it’s a beauty. Well worth the wait. Thank you very much. Most appreciated.
CA, QLD
…it will be cherished”
“… a present for my father and he was excited to hear about a complete history book about Alvey reels, thus will definitely be a highlight for the collection he has”
BR
“The more I look at the book, not only do I enjoy it more, but I also have a deeper appreciation for you and all the work it took to do it. May God bless you always”
TH, USA