Campbell’s Service Station in Dundas has been family owned and operated for 50 years

Campbell's Service Station - Gary Campbell, Elaine Campbell (Johnston) his wife and Jason Campbell (son) (photo Eastern Graphic)

The Eastern Graphic has a great story this week on Campbell’s Irving in Dundas is the oldest independent service station in the Maritimes.

When I moved back to PEI in 1975 and opened a bookkeeping practice in Albion Cross, Gary’s father Clem Campbell hired me to be his bookkeeper.

Along with being an astute businessman, Clem was a story teller. I remember so many funny stories from those days. Most of them can never be repeated. Clem had a gruff exterior but he was a great man who treated me well.

Gary was running the garage in those days and we became friends. As everyone knows, Gary has a wicked sense of humor and sarcasm.  

Being “from away” I drove my car like a bat out of hell, which on the twisty roads of Kings County put me in the ditch over and over.

Who you gonna call? Campbell’s Irving.

From numerous homes along the Seven Mile Road or on the way to Souris, I’d call the station looking for help. Gary would dryly ask, “What ditch are you in now?”

The bookkeeper is supposed to be a person with better driving skills and even temper. Many a time I was humbled by Gary’s humor.

Campbell’s was a going concern with the garage, boat hauling, Clover Farm store and Clem’s sponsorship the Boat Hauler’s hockey team in Souris. They are still going strong with the car and truck repairs, gas and store.

The Campbell’s are the salt of the earth. They all treated me well over the years, including Clem and his wife Anne, Gary and Elaine and his brother Foster, who runs an electrical business.

I drove through Dundas on Sunday thinking about those two years in Albion Cross and working for Campbell’s Service Station. They were some of the best years of my life.

My first question to Gary is going to be: where is your red hair?

Campbell’s Irving in Dundas is the oldest independent service station in the Maritimes

Campbell's Service Station in Dundas 1998, very close to how it looked in 1975. The lights and gas pumps were additions. (Eastern Graphic picture)

By Jonathan Charlton, Jonathan@peicanada.com Eastern Graphic

In 1960 John F Kennedy became President of the United States. Singer Ray Bono of U2 was born. Charlton Heston won Best Actor for his role in Ben-Hur.

That same year, in a small town in eastern PEI, Clem Campbell opened a service station. Campbell’s Irving in the community of Dundas would become an important part of the community.

In fact, it is now the oldest independent service station in the Maritimes.

But success wasn’t certain. Clem’s son Gary, who now owns the station, recalls Clem’s father cautioning him against opening the store.

The station itself wasn’t even completely finished when it opened. The parking lot wasn’t paved, so cars would stop along the side of the road and the gas attendant would drag the pump all the way out to meet them.

Looking back at old ledgers, Gary notes how things have changed. The prices his father used to charge in the late 1960s seem absurdly low now – a quart of oil was 35 cents, labour was $2 an hour, and a bulldozer was towed for $20.

Over time Clem and his family expanded the station. A Clover Farm general store was built beside it, though it closed in the early 1980s. Clem modified more trucks to be able to tow vehicles with some able to haul boats. At one time they serviced diesel marine engines. Gary saw to the expansion of the garage, which now houses four hoists instead of two.

The station has also expanded, with a tow truck kept at the ready in Montague.

Gary has been there every step of the way. He quit school in Grade 9 to start pumping gas, then when he was older he learned how to fix cars.

He enjoys dealing with the public. He says it modestly, but it’s true – he knows just about every person who walks in the door and, if he’s not up to his elbows in an engine, will greet them and ask how they’re doing.

He took the store over from his father about 35 years ago. He runs it with his wife Elaine, who handles the bookkeeping. His son Jason and nephew Tyler also work for him as mechanics.”I’ve been around since I could walk,” Tyler says.