Thread: Ampol coming back

DSCN0053.jpg You mean like this one I still have.

Peter

That's it. Has that one ever been near a Fuel Tank Peter?

It wouldn't be quite the same if one had a Caltex star hanging out would it? "Tiger in the Tank" was a clever Promotion for it's day.

Pardon my observation but that looks like a Tiger's strapon.

I am thinking we must have got it when in Melbourne on holiday because I don't think we had Esso here in Hobart. Unless another brand picked it up

down here in Tasmania. Someone may know.

Yes, a great promotion.

Might be strap-on but I could be lyin'. (boom boom)

how about an Amoco Orbiteer?

I worked in a Bank for my 40 year working career, but in the 60s, at the same time, I worked part time, at weekends, in a BP Servo, on the driveway, and in the work shop doing oil & greases etc. I got paid $1 an hour, and I usually made more at the Servo working at the weekend (no 24hr in those days of course!), than I made all week in the Bank.
We did full driveway service, Fuel, tires, oil & water check etc. And they were very "interesting" days in more ways than one, these were the days of the mini skirt, so cleaning the windscreen could sometimes be very "interesting"!
But the "Servo" in those days was a good place for us. Most of us who were into cars would hang out there, the owner was a good bloke, we could use all the garage facilities as long as we didn't get in the way. In those days I had the likes of a '48 Mercury, '51 Twin Spinner, '59 FC Holden Special etc,.....very very good memories.
There was an Ampol Servo just up the road, which never sold much, if any, fuel, as the driveway was almost totally filled with the owners various old Buicks!
Pickles.

So Caltex is being rebranded as Ampol, but Caltex will be coming back because Puma is to be rebranded as Caltex. Clear as mud?

After 25 years, Ampol is back

Originally Posted by Pickles2

I worked in a Bank for my 40 year working career, but in the 60s, at the same time, I worked part time, at weekends, in a BP Servo, on the driveway, and in the work shop doing oil & greases etc. I got paid $1 an hour, and I usually made more at the Servo working at the weekend (no 24hr in those days of course!), than I made all week in the Bank.
We did full driveway service, Fuel, tires, oil & water check etc. And they were very "interesting" days in more ways than one, these were the days of the mini skirt, so cleaning the windscreen could sometimes be very "interesting"!
But the "Servo" in those days was a good place for us. Most of us who were into cars would hang out there, the owner was a good bloke, we could use all the garage facilities as long as we didn't get in the way. In those days I had the likes of a '48 Mercury, '51 Twin Spinner, '59 FC Holden Special etc,.....very very good memories.
There was an Ampol Servo just up the road, which never sold much, if any, fuel, as the driveway was almost totally filled with the owners various old Buicks!
Pickles.

Back in 1966 I started my apprenticeship as a BMC mechanic with UK Motors Chermside the workshop was behind the Shell Service Station & one of our jobs was to pump petrol, when I left there I went to work at Wedmaiers Kelvin Grove another BMC dealer they had three Ampol Service Stations , Kelvin Grove , Kenmore & Paddington , I worker at all three of these sites. Those were good times until discount fuel came into being , We were paying the she same price for fuel that the Shell down the road were selling it for & when we asked Ampol for discount the answer was ,if you sell more fuel we will talk about discounts , it was a catch 22 , can't sell more fuel without discount & without discount discount you can't sell more fuel. They ended the lease on the Kenmore & Paddington sites & they owned the Kelvin Grove site so kept it open. They then took a lease on Ampol Hamilton until Ampol decided they wanted it back to demolish & build a large Self Serve site . The Wedmaier brothers retired then.
The other apprentice who stated at UK Motors the sane day as I did had an Ampol Service Station at Virginia , the same happened to him , He found out through a customer Ampol were going to demolish the site & build a large Self Serve site , he had not been contacted by Ampol about it . They did not care that you had a thriving business in the workshop , if your fuel sales dropped or were not keeping up with others in the area you were out . Mate then joined the fire service until he retired .

In saying that about Ampol all the fuel companies were the same , the BP at Paddington just down the road from the Ampol were in the same boat as Wedmaiers had leased the site for years but when discounting came in could not get a discount from BP .

Originally Posted by 1950landy

Back in 1966 I started my apprenticeship as a BMC mechanic with UK Motors Chermside the workshop was behind the Shell Service Station & one of our jobs was to pump petrol, when I left there I went to work at Wedmaiers Kelvin Grove another BMC dealer they had three Ampol Service Stations , Kelvin Grove , Kenmore & Paddington , I worker at all three of these sites. Those were good times until discount fuel came into being , We were paying the she same price for fuel that the Shell down the road were selling it for & when we asked Ampol for discount the answer was ,if you sell more fuel we will talk about discounts , it was a catch 22 , can't sell more fuel without discount & without discount discount you can't sell more fuel. They ended the lease on the Kenmore & Paddington sites & they owned the Kelvin Grove site so kept it open. They then took a lease on Ampol Hamilton until Ampol decided they wanted it back to demolish & build a large Self Serve site . The Wedmaier brothers retired then.
The other apprentice who stated at UK Motors the sane day as I did had an Ampol Service Station at Virginia , the same happened to him , He found out through a customer Ampol were going to demolish the site & build a large Self Serve site , he had not been contacted by Ampol about it . They did not care that you had a thriving business in the workshop , if your fuel sales dropped or were not keeping up with others in the area you were out . Mate then joined the fire service until he retired .

In saying that about Ampol all the fuel companies were the same , the BP at Paddington just down the road from the Ampol were in the same boat as Wedmaiers had leased the site for years but when discounting came in could not get a discount from BP .

A mate had a Golden Fleece, which became Caltex, for 22 years. A very successful business with high gallonage, a large profitable workshop, and a taxi base. He was given four weeks notice to quit. THe Caltex rep told him the owner (not Caltex) wanted to sell the place vacant possession and had already had the zoning changed to low rise units up to 8 levels. The return from the land value exceeded the amount that a servo would be expected to make. Apparently sometime in the past Golden Fleece needed money and quietly sold off a number of sites to an investment and money-lending company who had bided their time and when the suburb was gentrifying and unit building took their capital gains.