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Vol.15 No.27
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Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Having fun at the park! Page 12
Clarence’s to celebrate its 50th anniversary BY WAYNE CREIGHTON Special to the Voice The automotive industry has changed a lot since 1961 when domestic cars ruled the road, gas sold for about 30 cents a gallon and fuel injection engines were still on the design board and not the assembly line. The one constant in the past 50 years, however, has been Clarence’s Service Centre on Canboro Road. Clarence Dam purchased the business in 1961 and a couple of years later demolished the existing building and erected a new garage which remains a beehive of activity today with cars and trucks of all shapes and sizes getting a mechanical makeover. Clarence Dam passed
away in 1996, but his legacy lives on in the garage and the mechanics that run it—his sons Hans and Louie, who purchased the business from their father in 1980. “We’ve never had another job; I started working the garage when I was 12,” says Hans. “I would help out however I could; I did try a picking job once but I didn’t like it.” It wasn’t a certainty that one of Clarence Dam’s five sons would follow in his footsteps. “At a certain point, we had a choice to make,” says Hans. “I have three other brothers who aren’t in the business, my dad never made us take over the business; it was our choice.” At one time, Clarence’s sold Sunoco fuel but the
advent of the drive thru society where everyone was in a hurry to gas up, grab a coffee and hit the road again forced a change in direction in 1993. “At one time there were six gas stations in this town,” says Louie. “There isn’t one left now—so we now focus on general repairs, domestic or foreign cars, we fix ‘em all.” The changes in automotive technology over the past five decades have kept the brothers on their toes and Hans acknowledges that it is all about diagnosing the problem these days. “Cars have evolved from points, condensers and generators to electronic ignitions, air bags, ABS brakes and a whole lot of other stuff,” says Louie. “Cars go faster, they last
Hans and Louie Dam will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Clarence’s Service Centre – a business begun by their father in 1961 - on Saturday, Sept. 10 with an open house at the garage on Canboro Road. They are inviting all their customers, friends and family to join them from 9 a.m.-noon. Wayne Creighton/Voice Photo Ask The Experts:
Jim Pedlar & Tina Moessner
longer, people drive many more kilometers but they haven’t made a car yet that doesn’t need to be repaired.” Neither Hans or Louie have sons who will one day follow in their footsteps but they are optimistic that when it comes time for them to hang up their wrenches, the business will continue as a legacy to them and their father.
“I hope it remains a going concern,” says Louie. “It’s in a good location and served us well; it has been a very viable business with a lot of community clientele. We have always been a community-based shop.” On September 10, Hans and Louie are inviting their customers to an open house at the garage to celebrate 50 years in
business. From 9 a.m. to noon, there will be classic cars, a barbecue and raffles. “It’s a chance for us to say thank you to all our customers for their support over the years,” says Louie. “We have a lot of return customers and the children of our customers bring their cars to us now and we are very appreciative.”
Old electronics raise money for firefighters
The Pelham firefighters held an eWaste Day on Saturday, August 27. The firefighters collected more than 20 tonnes of electronic waste. The waste will be recycled, and the money raised will go towards purchasing new equipment for the firefighters’ extrication team. Pictured, Mayor Dave Augustyn pitches some electronic waste into a 40-yard container. Tina Chivers/Voice Photo