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Service Station Attendants, A Bygone Era

Remember when you would pull up at the local petrol station and an attendant would rush out to fill the tank, check your oil and tyre pressure and wash the windscreen? Then he or she would take the cash inside and bring back the change. Back then you did not even have to step out of the car.

Listening to ABC radio recently, I heard people reminiscing about those earlier days when driveway service was considered par for the course, whereas these days it’s become little more than a faded memory.

Here’s part of the programme from ABC South East SA’s Friday Rewind.

Photo from National Library of Australia; nla.pic-an 24679811-v.•The Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Mr. J.S. Philp, watches Frank Patten of the Beulah Park Ampol service station refuel his car during the Handicapped Children's Week Appeal, South Australia, December, 1955 [picture]

Photo from National Library of Australia; nla.pic-an 24679811-v.• The Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Mr. J.S. Philp, watches Frank Patten of the Beulah Park Ampol service station refuel his car during the Handicapped Children’s Week Appeal, South Australia, December, 1955 [picture]

“Mount Gambier historian Laurie Fox was a driveway attendant in his later teenage years during the 1940s war years at Walkers Garage (in Mt Gambier) and remembers dashing out in all forms of weather to service customers.

“All the garages had all four or five different pumps back then, when a person would pull up they would choose the petrol brand they wanted,” he said.

In those days petrol was rationed but people would pull up and ask for 2 or 4 gallons from the young man.

Mel Barton-Ancliffe shared this photo; "As a 13 year old, I worked after school on Fridays and Saturday mornings at the Atlantic, then Esso Service Station on Marion Road South Plympton. The servo was owned by Mrs M. Bush, who I was very fond of. Her daughter Ilze is pictured

Mel Barton-Ancliffe shared this photo; “As a 13 year old, I worked after school on Fridays and Saturday mornings at the Atlantic, then Esso Service Station on Marion Road South Plympton. The servo was owned by Mrs M. Bush, who I was very fond of. Her daughter Ilze is pictured

“It was one shilling and ten pence a gallon back then,” Laurie said.

In today’s currency, that equates to 4.5 cents a litre.

In later years, when Laurie was running his motorbike business, he remembered the very first single branded Shell service station opening near the Odeon Theatre.

Nowadays, like most in the western world, Laurie pumps his own petrol, with most driveway attendants disappearing around the 1980s and early 1990s as stations cut costs to compete with miniscule price differences.

“There’s not a great deal of it anymore.

“Some people kept driveway service going a lot longer than others.”

It’s interesting to note customers in two American states still enjoy driveway attendants because the law requires it.

New Jersey and Oregon banned self-service in early 1950 after heavy lobbying by service station owners saying safety and jobs as reasons to keep attendants on deck.

But Mount Gambier historian Colin Thompson fondly remembers the days when you could pull up and enjoy the ‘full service’.

“They’d say, ‘can I check your oil and would you like a dash of Redex lubricant,” for which they would receive sixpence in commission,” he said.”

According to the programme the electric power petrol pumps were first introduced in the early 60s which then led to self service petrol stations and eventually the end of driveway service.

Pete Blakeby recalled on the ARW Facebook page recently; “I worked as a Service Station attendant at BP South Glenelg on Brighton Rd, now Dave Potter Honda, from 1971 to 1976. Pumping Standard petrol at 30 cents/gal & Super at 35 cents/gal, Kero & BP Zoom. Wiping pint & half pint oil bottles with a rag, cleaning windscreens, checking oil & tyres as driveway service. Changing tyres, fixing punctures & minor mechanical work in workshop. Yes that was a Service Station which had a hand written sign around the deriveway clock “Quality remains when price is forgotten”.

Mind you I don’t recall that there was a big fuss about the end of driveway service back then but I guess it happened over a period of time and maybe we just didn’t notice it slip away.

 

 

4 Responses to Service Station Attendants, A Bygone Era

  1. Andy Johnson October 12, 2014 at 9:48 pm #

    I worked at Shell Parade Norwood from 1993- 1997 as a “Forecourt Assistant” I was responsible for filling petrol, checking oil, radiators and tyre pressures……..I remember a little old lady who would come in EVERY Friday in her Valiant AP5 sedan, wearing white gloves and a wide brimmed hat…..her car was white, and had moss growing out of her boot. she would pull up at the pump and toot her horn and after filling her car and checking her tyres she would press $2 into my hand and tell me to buy a cold drink……Alas the service station closed down and was demolished to make way for the cinema complex that now stands in it’s place…I was one of the last surviving petrol attendants in the Adelaide metro area……good memories.

  2. helen biddle October 24, 2014 at 2:15 am #

    My hubby worked at the amaco servo on Marion road next to the Marion hotel worked there for nearly ten years it finished up as a bp servo in the end and was always self Serve when my hubby was there Leigh tingey used to be the manager that was up to about 84 or 85 those were the days x x x

  3. Jac Hannon July 16, 2015 at 4:11 pm #

    I work at Motorlab 21 Edmund Avenue Unley and we still serve petrol and check oil, water and tyres for customers

  4. NEIL GOW-SMITH September 10, 2018 at 6:50 pm #

    Iworked at the Shell service station,opposite the then Castle Hotel Motel South Rd.Edwardstown,saturday mornings &school holidays,Ken Bennett was running it then,followed by Gordon Hubbatz i believe ,really enjoyed working there as a young teenager.

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