After more than four decades under the bonnet, Foster is saying goodbye to one of its most reliable fixtures. Local mechanic Ray Dower, who has kept the town’s cars - and in earlier years, its milk trucks - running since December 1983, has closed the door for the final time.
Ray arrived in Foster after completing his apprenticeship at Bales near Koo Wee Rup and settling in the town with his wife. Taking over a long-established workshop that once included petrol pumps, panel beating and Holden sales, he inherited a busy operation and quickly built a reputation for straight dealing, steady skill and looking after people as well as their vehicles.
Through years that saw the industry shift dramatically, Ray remained booked out months in advance. He attributed that loyalty not to secrets or shortcuts, but to a simple philosophy, “Do good work, don’t be greedy, and treat people right.” It served him, and the community well.
As a registered Holden service agent, Ray kept many a local classic car on the road as well, though he insists he was never a collector himself. Cars, he says, were his job. Cricket, golf and time with family were his joys outside it.
In its busiest period, the workshop employed four people, but in recent years Ray worked solo, carrying the full weight of a business that rarely gave him a day off. Now, at 67, he is looking forward to something he admits has been rare: freedom. A new shed at home, two days a week of tinkering, watching Foster Cricket Club, some golf, and trips to visit his son overseas beckon.
While the building will soon become part of the op shop at the front of the building, Ray’s decades of honest service won’t be packed away so easily. For many locals, he leaves behind not just a reliable mechanic, but a trusted constant in the life of the town. David Barrett
