Curnow's Garage

Fast Facts

Type of organisation:	Business
Street number:	4
Street name:	Balaklava
Street suffix:	Road
Town or locality:	Mallala
Date established:	"{{{Date approximate}}}" is not recognized as a Boolean (true/false) value. The date "c. 1920" was not understood.
Ceased operation:	"{{{Date approximate2}}}" is not recognized as a Boolean (true/false) value. "{{{Date approximate}}}" is not recognized as a Boolean (true/false) value. 1998
Established by:	John Curnow
Business or purpose:	Automotive business- sales and repair

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• "{{{Date approximate2}}}" is not recognized as a Boolean (true/false) value.
• "{{{Date approximate}}}" is not recognized as a Boolean (true/false) value.

John Wilfred (Wilf) Curnow began selling General Motors cars in 1920 through the agency of Clutterbucks and Manns Motors, and these included Buick, Chevrolet and Oldsmobile.

In 1926 General Motors Holden appointed Wilf Curnow as one of their first dealers in S.A.

He then built the premises at 4 Balaklava Rd. known as Curnow's Garage, where he sold the full range of Holden's products. (A mechanic was Claude Lutz)

In the mid 1930's, sons Jack and Harry were assisting Wilf; Jack on the Mallala premises and Harry started up his own garage on Adelaide Rd. also selling spare parts for the H.V McKay Massey Harris Agency.

In 1940 Harry joined the Air Force, and he eventually rejoined Jack at the Mallala Garage in 1947. The new Holden car was introduced in 1948. (Malclm Dunstan was mechanic from 1944 - 1990).

In 1956 Harry's elder son Bruce (Kelly) joined the firm, and in 1970 his other son Brian assisted.

Bruce and his wife Josie took over the dealership in 1979, and they eventually closed the Curnow's Garage business on 14-3-1998

References

• Mallala Museum research notes- Mallala businesses