STABLES TO SERVICENTRE

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30143, 29 May 1963, Page 18

STABLES TO SERVICENTRE

'J’HERE has been a service station at the intersection of Barbadoes street and Bealey avenue, for as long as many local residents can remember, and the opening of the new Avenue Servicentre marks

the end pf an era. It jalso marks the emergence of the station into the modern era of bright, clean, wellequipped buildings designed to cater to the needs of the modern motorist. Originally the site where the service station now stands was a carrier’s business, and stables were positioned where the lubrication bay of the Avenue Servicentre is now.

The property was converted to a small garage and petrol station by a Mr

Watson, who kept the business until 1945. At this time it was known as “The Bealey.” The next owner of the property was Mr J. Fuller, during the Second World War a Petty Officer with the Royal New Zealand Navy. Mr Fuller served on the famous Neuf Zealand warship the Achilles, and was with her, both during the battle of the River Plate and later. At the end of the war Mr Fuller wrote home to his wife asking her to buy a business, and “The Bealey” was purchased. “The Bealey” was then a rather dilapidated place with worn-out equipment which war-time rationing had reduced to a minimum. Mr Fuller renamed the service station the Achillesf after his old ship, and a pilot jack was flown from a flagstaff on the roof. For a long time Mrs Fuller managed on her own. Rationing was strict, the hours of 7.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. seemed long for the sale of a few gallons. In

addition the building needed many repairs, and the leaky roof often meant covering the floor with buckets to catch the drips. When he was discharged from the navy Mr Fuller applied for a building permit for a lubrication bay. No new bricks were obtainable, but Mr Fuller managed to buy 100 bricks at a fire sale, and these he brought home in his Morris Eight. The day the building was finished a letter was received from Wellington cancelling the building permit, but by then, of course,

it was too late. Mr and Mrs Fuller owned the Achilles until 1951, when Mr Fuller had to retire for health reasons. Over this period services and equipment were gradually improved, and many motorists became regular customers at the Achilles.

Next, the Achilles was purchased by a Mr A. Palmer, who owned it for four years. Further improvements were made and in 1955 the business was sold to the present owner, Mr H. Duckworth.

Now, the' Achilles has gone, and in its place stands the white and red concrete and glass Avenue Servicentre. The property has grown: the house which stood behind the old Achilles has moved to make way for the new lubrication bays. From stables to service centre, the premises have expanded to meet the needs of new generations of motorists.