New members introduction - 11th August

Julie Mulqueen and Claire Brind deliver the traditional "job talk"

Pegswood -  Cookswell garage

MORPETH ROTARY NEW MEMBERS FROM THE CAR TRADE

Julie Mulqueen and Claire Brind have recently moved from Longbenton with Killingworth Rotary Club to become members at Morpeth. They agreed to give the traditional ‘My Job’ talk about working in the family business at Cookswell Garage Ltd. and this took place at the last Rotary Zoom meeting. Claire is Julie’s niece and is 12 years younger. Julie’s dad was a colliery electrician, mother was a hairdresser and they lived in a colliery row at Pegswood. To make extra money dad started a taxi service. He managed to save up enough to buy two cars and set up a wedding car hire service. They decided to have their own repair workshop instead of taking their cars to a garage. They wanted to build a petrol station and a house in Pegswood. Mother contacted Lord Ridley who had always supported local miners. He turned up in a Rolls-Royce to discuss what they had in mind. They put in a planning request to the council and opened in October 1962. During the building work the family and three children spent the day in a caravan at the site and went home to the colliery house at night. They opened the petrol station and bought more cars including a converted London cab. From an early age the children helped in the business with basic jobs like cleaning cars and sweeping out confetti. Julie helped with the ice cream order which was kept in a large chest freezer. She was held by the ankles by her dad so she could reach the bottom and get the last ice cream packs out. She advanced to admin jobs like checking invoices, which at that time involved using a lot of carbon paper, and she took phone calls from the undertaker for the hire of cars. She was given the responsibility of being on the till around the time of decimalisation and helped to change all of the prices the night before D Day. She left school at 16 and went into the business. She was good at maths, did the wages and every Saturday night had to balance the books. She went to Ashington Technical College part-time and got an ONC in Business Studies and then on to Newcastle College to qualify as a Chartered Secretary. Visiting sales reps always insisted on seeing her father. He used to come out, ask what they wanted and then say “Julie does that” and go back to the workshop. The business thrived and she still had time to be Brown Owl for the Brownies and Cubs. The Cubs called her ‘brown ale’. 

The company began to buy and sell used cars and Julie would do the initial contact. At the right point in the sales pitch she would drag her brother out of the workshop to explain the car and strike a deal, leaving Julie with the paperwork. They began to sell new Polish Fiats in 1981 even though the brand was treated as a joke to begin with. More difficult times followed and in 1986 the contract with Esso ran out and the oil company allowed additional petrol stations to pop up everywhere. They changed to Fina much to the disappointment of the Castrol rep who had been trying to get the garage on his books for 10 years. That was Eddie who must have done something right as Julie married him 40 years later. Julie was only 20 by this time but had to recommend to the family that selling petrol was not worthwhile. They used the forecourt to sell cars instead. At the time the national rules on finance were relaxed which allowed even more people to buy cars. Around this time she went to an event at the Black and Grey in Morpeth, discovered Rotary through Rotaract and found them to be a very warm and welcoming group of people. It seemed to fit the times as the top hit then was a song called ‘Happy Talk’. They helped to build a very active and successful Rotaract Club but Julie had to leave when she got to the age limit of 35. They asked to join Morpeth Rotary Club but at the time they did not admit women members. Longbenton with Killingworth was the only club that would accept them. Since then Julie has done a great deal for Rotary including becoming Assistant District Governor. Michael Duffy of Morpeth Rotary, who had bought many cars from Julie’s company over the years, apologised and said he had moved the admitting of women members at three different times before he got a majority. 

In 1985 they took on a Citroen franchise and began to sell the 2CV which was also regarded as a bit of a joke but then they brought out the BX, a lovely new fast diesel, and they never looked back. In 1988 their parents were in a fatal road crash. Claire, who was 18 and finishing her ‘A’ Levels, came into the business under the care of Julie. She started in car sales and admin including finance. She spent three years on the forecourt in all types of weather doing part exchanges and arranging handovers. After her 21st birthday party she was put onto car parts but hated it. Only a week later she was put back on sales. In the meantime Claire also joined Rotaract, and became the youngest District Chairman at 22 years. They went on training courses all over the country. One was an introduction to their first computer and how it could be used in sales. In August 1990 they sold 100 cars in one month and the Citroen MD came to visit with champaign. Citroen became more and more corporate with targets for everything and every branch had to look the same. Staff achieved the targets but they caused a great deal of stress. A complete revamp was required in 2012 at a cost of £50,000 with a tile finish everywhere and new desks and chairs. Less than five years later Citroen decided they wanted the tiles changed from oblong to square and new furniture costing another £100,000. The family brought their relationship with Citroen to an amicable end three years ago and now concentrate on second hand cars and vans. 

Julie is a Director and Company Secretary and Claire is Sales Manager.

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