‘Petrol pump wisdom’
"Be the person your dog thinks you are" – JW Stephens.
For some, the BP garage on Jan Smuts Avenue has become a pit stop in the morning, others a landmark when giving directions, while for morning passers-by it’s their daily dose of ‘petrol pump wisdom’.
Walking in to meet the woman behind the inspirational quotes written on the chalkboard outside of the petrol station, one is received with a smile and a warm welcome.
For Alison Purchase, wife to the owner of the filling station, people coming in to thank her for her words of wisdom is not unusual.
Alison explained to The Gazette how the chalkboards outside the establishment have been there for 40 years and her quotes are really no more than an effort to carry on a tradition started by the previous owner.
“My husband bought the petrol station 19 years ago and I joined him a few years later. I have since been writing the quotes for the past 13 years,” she said.
She showed The Gazette an old copy of Marie Claire, which had featured one of her boards, and talked about how the editor had dubbed it “petrol pump wisdom”.
“Inspiration for my quotes comes from anywhere really – for instance I got this morning’s quote from one of my daughter’s teachers, it was written on her door,” she added.
“I also walk around with my little black book,” she said as she pulled it out of her handbag, “and I write down any message that I come across, be it at a restaurant or on a Starbucks cup.”
Realising the popularity that had been gained from her quotes, she created a Facebook Page called Hutton Hyde Park, where she posts all her quirky and motivational quotes.
“It has become sort of a responsibility to make sure I keep the boards updated,” she said, as she explained how she was once caught unprepared when she left the boards blank and coincidently, motivational speaker Geoff Ramm asked Talk Radio 702 listeners to call in and tell him what message was written on the boards on the day.
“I have to keep doing it because people expect it. People are different and while some will relate to the quotes, I know others may not, but I will keep writing them.”
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