End of petrol dynasty
GATTON: Vernon Ziebarth, owner of the V & M Ziebarth service station, is preparing for his retirement from the Gatton business after 46 years.
Mr Ziebarth said the business had already been sold, and would continue to operate as a service station.
Mr Ziebarth – whose two brothers also owned petrol stations in the region – said his favourite part of owning a local businesses had been “associating with the customers”.
“It’s the people I will miss – every day we have greeted new and different people,” he said.
With his wife, Margaret, Mr Ziebarth also treasured his relationships with his first and longest-serving customer, Neil Walker, and staff member of more than 33 years, Anissa English.
“Most of our customers have been local, but we still also have had a lot of bypass traffic,” Mr Ziebarth said.
Often, he said, travellers n would come in looking for a certain person.
“And you’d know who they were and where they lived.”
Mr Ziebarth’s brothers, Neville and John, have both passed away but also owned local service stations and “never had any problem with opposition with each other”.
His brother John owned and ran the BP in Gatton and Neville owned a local independent petrol station.
“I worked for Neville for 16 years. That’s where I got my start. Then this service station became available which I purchased and redeveloped.”
He said he was selling because he was 77, and a buyer had come at the right time.