On April 30th, Aaron Rudd will close his door for the last time.
The blue coveralls, dirty hands and smell of tires and oil, which have been part of his life for the past 46 years, will soon be just a memory.
Aaron got into his trade more by happenstance than anything else. At the age of 15, three years after his mother died, he left Prince George and went to live with a cousin and his family in Surrey for a year. His cousin was a mechanic and helped Aaron get a job.
“My first job was washing cars in a car lot. I did that in the summer and then during school I worked pumping gas. I just started doing a little brake work and oil changes; I started out with the small stuff.”
In 1969 he moved to Terrace to live with his dad. With his work experience it wasn’t hard to get a job pumping gas and soon his boss, Louie, offered him apprenticeship. In 1973, Aaron got his mechanic certification.
“Then I went to Kitimat because my boss went there. I worked in the Volkswagen dealership for about seven years. Volkswagens were simple as hell in those days but trickier now; they’re not even the same car anymore.”
Eventually Aaron left for other opportunities. He worked in the East Kootenays and Vancouver before eventually settling in Salmon Arm in 1993. He got a job at Fountain Tire but after a few years he and a co-worker decided to go into business together.
The combination of the first letters of their names (Aaron and Bill) would put them first in the phone book as Aabil Automotive. They started in Canoe by the Big Steel Box off Highway 1. Bill left the business in 2000. In 2011, Aaron moved to the industrial park. He has seen a lot of changes over the four decades as automobiles evolved.
“Cars back then were really simple to work on in the ’70s and ’80s compared to now. I think motors and transmissions are better and the rest of the car – I don’t think they’re any better. They’re not near as tough as they used to be; car bodies were made of good metal back then, there’s a lot of plastic now.”
Two lawn chairs that have long ceased being white are set up by the counter. These chairs are often occupied as customers stop by to visit, even when they aren’t bringing their vehicles in.
“All of the people who come have become my friends. It’s the only place in town where you come for abuse and pay for it too,” he jokes. “This is the most fun job I’ve had I think, dealing with the people.”
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Aaron isn’t going miss living with dirty hands.
“The only time they would come clean is if I took a week off for fishing.”
His plans include exploring B.C. and Canada with his wife, Judy. After spending 46 years fixing vehicles, his retirement will not include tinkering with vehicles in the backyard.
“Nope, I’m not going to do it at home. I’m not going to do brakes or oil changes – maybe spark plugs.”
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