28 November, 2022
Drivers pass the spanner over after 27 years
AFTER 27 years of changing oil, fixing worn brake pads and servicing vehicles, Dawn and Evan Driver are handing the tools over to new owners Andy and Pip Omundsen who will be trading as Woodford Mechanical.
Dawn and Evan who have lived in Woodford their entire lives started their workshop in 1995 on Durundur St, before moving 10 years later to the industrial area on Chambers Rd, and since then have seen more than 600 different customers come through.
“I hope we’re been good to the community because they’re been good to us,” Evan said.
“Don’t think I’ve been here long enough to be a local though,” he joked as he spoke about when he went to the Woodford Pub with $20 and ended up stumbling out after being shouted all afternoon by local customers, with $20 still in hand.
Dawn said over the years they have built good relationships with a lot of their customers.
“They feel like family to us.”
After bringing all four of their children up in the workshop, the Driver’s said it was a very difficult and sad decision to sell the business.
“We’re just too old,” Evan said.
“The body doesn’t move the way it used to.
“Otherwise, I would’ve stayed till I was 160.”
“The customer base has also expanded in recent years and it is just too big for us.”
Andy said he is not quite sure what he plans to do now but has been telling everyone he will probably sleep till March to catch up on the past 27 years.
He said that travelling overseas has never really excited him, and that there are still plenty of places around the area for them to explore.
“All the kids are moving back too,” Evan said.
He said that he had been told to slow down and smell the roses and to stop going through life so quickly, especially now that his kids are coming back to start families of their own.
“We’re just resting, not retiring though,” Dawn said.
Dawn said they will most likely end up working a part time job.
The Driver’s said they wish Andy and Pip all the best and are confident they will do a great job.
“(Andy) is just is shorter, younger version of myself,” Evan said.
He said they both have four kids, are bald and have a passion for cars.
Andy, who has been a mechanic for 35 years, said they plan on making very few changes to the workshop as it has been so successful.
“That’s why we bought it,” he said.
After hitting the ground running on Monday November 28, the Morayfield couple said everyone has been so welcoming and they are prepared for the workshop to be flat out.
After starting work at the age of 14, Andy completed his apprenticeship in New Zealand and built rally cars for three years.
Not long after, in 1995, he made the move to Australia and owned and run a couple of workshops in Adelaide.
For the past 10 years, Andy had worked FIFO on oil and gas rigs as a mechanic, but said the lifestyle was not ideal.
“I was getting sick of being away from home and working 15-hour days,” he said.
So, they decided to buy Woodford Mechanical (formerly Drivers Mobile Automotives).
With four kids, Andy and Pip said they are excited to have them grow up in the workshop, with their youngest five-year-old son already stepping up to the challenge.
“He’s a little rev-head,” Andy said.
After being a stay-at-home mum for some time, Pip re-joined the workforce three months ago and will be in charge of admin.
“Dawn and Evan will be here for the first two weeks to show us the ropes,” she said.
“They have made us feel so welcomed.”
Andy said they have noticed that a lot of people work out of town, and therefore don’t have the time during the week to get their cars serviced.
“We will be willing to work over weekends for people who can’t get their cars in during the week,” he said.
“If we have notice, we can get the parts and do either Saturday or Sunday.”
Woodford Mechanical are currently open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm.
