Not going anywhere

FRED Addison is not at all concerned about the increasing calls for a second petrol station in Kiama.

When your business has survived two serious fires, an armed hold up, booming oil prices and competition from ten other petrol dealerships in Kiama alone it is fair to assume that not much is going to concern you.

When I first opened up in 1952 people told me I was stupid, he grinned. Within 12 months I was one of 11 in this town but were still here. It is hard but Im not too concerned at the moment, theres some things I have to find out but we have survived worse so I am sure we will be fine.

Mr Addison said he does not feel Kiama needs another service station saying a lot of local people get petrol from outside the district as it is.

It is still too early to talk, we have to wait on Matt Browns decision with the on/off ramps but at this stage I dont think we need another station, he said. The by-pass took away a lot of the need for service stations in Kiama. Before it came there were 11 stations in the region, now theres hardly any left. It is a hard business. These days we are forced to compete with the bigger sites at Albion Park and Warilla.

Mr Addison said he was deeply concerned by recent comments made by Kiama councillor Warren Steel who has been a long time advocate of a second service station.

Id like to tell Mr Steel a lot of things about a lot of things, he said. A lot of the things he says are questionable.

I have thought about buying the shop he trades out of, we would see how good he goes then.

What Mr Steel has to understand is that we employ 14 people full time, what happens to them if Mr Steel gets his way. I have one girl working for me who first started 42 years ago and my secretary has been with me for 30 years.

What people have to remember is that we have over 300 people on personal accounts in the store and we put the petrol into the cars. This is something that no one else does.

Mr Steel said whilst he had nothing against Mr Addison he believed he was bound by his duty as a councillor to do what he believed was best for the community.

I think Freddy is a lovely bloke who does a terrific job for this town but frankly I believe this town needs a second service station, he said. Competition is certainly a good thing and I think it is a wrong thing in this day and age for any business to have a monopoly. Competition is what Australia is all about.

Despite recent high oil prices and the threat of competition looming Mr Addison had one promise to make to the people of Kiama.

I wont be going anywhere, he said. When I finish up my daughters will keep it going. I knocked Woolworths back from buying us out. Things would have to get a lot worse for me to think about selling.?