At the 1932 Melbourne Cup, Bill O’Brien, a radio salesman, and Harry Norville, an engineer, placed a bet on 4-1 pony ‘Peter Pan’, and won. Despite tough economic times, the two decided to invest their winnings into something they’d long dreamt of and started “Breville Radio”. The word ‘Breville’ is a derivate of the founder’s names; O’Brien and Norville. But by the late 50’s, television had all but replaced the radio, and as such Breville’s focus turned to small appliances.