Under the shade of a broad-brimmed hat and through the glare of a sunburnt smile Tony Bellette’s voice speaks with compassion and friendliness. It’s an approachable voice. Ready for a chat on a verandah anywhere at anytime of the day. His voice honours servicemen and understands the hours of thankless nights by our SES, Ambos and the Red Cross. He could easily be one. Imagine him for a moment turning to the camera with a backdrop of devastation to remind us that the work is tough and his mates are a bit tired but they’re getting through it. Let him explain the stock routes of Queensland, the pastoral areas of New South Wales – he is the coach captain on your journey around the country. Old stories and even older jokes are included for free. Tony is full of grandfatherly advice. The bedtime tales he tells to wide-eyed children are his own. In his younger years he fought every dragon and wooed every maiden, built the castle, dug the moat, brewed the mead. Despite his years, his boyish love of voices and performance makes the end result a joy to watch and listen to an old pro. Salty as a fishing boat’s deck after a weekend catch, once the voice is done, stick around, Tony’s got a funny story.
* A footnote here for Animation producers, just know that Tony can play the voice of every character you can possibly dream up.
