"The highlight of my youth was working at Shires bagging apples, onions and potatoes, with the aim of earning enough money to leave town. I was only 10."
With the Wackrow award honouring the memory of the late Constable Graeme Wackrow who was killed in a car accident while serving with the New Zealand Police in Dannevirke, it was fitting that Mr Fell's father, Brent, was a former police officer in our town.
"He was one of the old-school police officers, along with Ross McDonald, Bob Dresser, Alf Herd and Les Trigg," Mr Fell said.
"Our backyard was adjacent to the old Dannevirke Police Station and I remember getting paid a can of Fanta to wash the police car every Sunday."
Not keen on sport, Mr Fell joined St John Ambulance as a youth cadet in 1987, spending most weekends for five years attending rugby games, motorsport events and community activities such as the A&P Show.
"The day I turned 15, I was in the driving seat of the St John ambulance, an old, grey, Bedford panel van, with a single beacon light on the top and a CB radio," he said.
"People's lives were in my hands, and from that day onwards, I quickly learnt the meaning of responsibility and leadership."
Awarded the Wackrow Memorial Youth award in his last year at Dannevirke High School, Mr Fell said he was incredibly proud and humbled to be acknowledged for his contribution to our community.
"I put my award proceeds towards a very expensive set of Victorinox chef's knives and my career journey began."
In early 1993, he was accepted into the Whanganui Polytechnic School of Tourism and Hospitality, which led to a four-year chef apprenticeship with Southern Pacific Hotels at the James Cook in Wellington.
After being named Apprentice of the Year in 1998, Mr Fell went on to work as executive chef for Chef of the Nation Steve Morris, winning a number of culinary awards, including Brasserie of the Year in the New Zealand Corbans Wine and Food Challenge.
"From the exhaustive world of a chef, I moved into hotel management and spent 11 years as general manager for multiple hotel companies, including Mangapapa Lodge in Hawke's Bay and the Scenic Hotel Group, before moving to Australia," he said.
But home was calling and returning to New Zealand in 2011, Mr Fell became director of corporate regional facilities in Auckland, managing more than $1 billion of major regional facilities and landmark venues around the city.
"I had a fair bit on my plate," he admitted.
"Some of the highlights included flying an elephant into New Zealand from Sri Lanka and on to Niue, without anyone knowing about it and signing up bands like Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen and the Eagles to perform at Mt Smart Stadium."
In January 2016, headhunted by Local Government New Zealand, Mr Fell became chief executive of the Whanganui District Council.
"My fixed-term agreement ends in 2020 and I'll be looking to advance to a main city council or lead a Wellington government agency. Who knows? The world is my oyster."
Addressing the eight 2017 Wackrow nominees, Mr Fell reminded them there was no such thing as luck.
"Luck has nothing to do with being a good leader, but hard work and commitment will pay dividends and by putting in the hard yards now, paves the way for the future. You have an exciting and fantastic future ahead of you."
Ross MacDonald, Dannevirke Community Board chairman, said Mr Fell's story proved that if you worked hard you would do well.