The Bob Parkes Story

Born in Home Hill in 1937, Bob Parkes was educated in Townsville. He left school at the age of 14 to work for the then ‘International' dealers, ‘Casey Motors'. At 17 Bob up and left town to spend the next 4 years working on a cattle station in the Prairie District. He eventually returned to Townsville in 1958 to partner his brother in operating the old ‘BP North Ward Service Station' (then situated on the corner of Eyre & Gregory Streets).

Two years later Bob took up a position as a sales rep for the ‘General Rubber Tyre Company'. He married soon after this and left to live in Hughenden in 1961, where the company was taken over by ‘United Tyre Service'. 1965 saw a quick stint (18 months) up in Cairns before he returned to Townsville as the sole operator of the “Esso”
Service Station, on the corner of Hugh Street & Ingham Road.

In 1971, just before Cyclone Althea, Bob started his new business, ‘Bob Parkes Automotive' in Flinders Street across the road from the old Railway Station (the building currently occupied by Norm Hyatt Locksmith). Bob specialized in various automotive accessories, as well as mechanical repairs.

In August 1975 ‘Bob Parkes Muffler City' was born, with Bob moving the business to Somer Street, behind Holden and Ford, this move saw the introduction of a machine not before seen outside of Sydney and Melbourne, “The Pipe Bender”. This new innovation, along with the continuation of his mechanical repairs, saw the business flourish. Bob's eldest son Mark joined the business in 1979 and in 1984 he took control of an additional premises, on the corner of Charles & Anne Streets in Aitkenvale.

The 1980's saw Bob's other 3 sons join the business at various stages. Peter completed a mechanical apprenticeship before moving on to a career in the transport industry. Youngest son Paul worked as a salesman before moving south to join