In 1962, Elmer and Ann Quiring purchased J. Scott Motors, the Esso service station located at 27158 Fraser Highway in Aldergrove, BC. The building had once been Hamre’s Garage, and at one time there had been a community dancehall upstairs. The purchase of the building and property include a 1941 Ford wrecker, which can been seen in our photo gallery. The Quiring’s new company joined the Automotive
Retailers’ Association in 1962, and was one of the first towing companies to begin towing for the fledgling Insurance Corporation of BC when it was formed by the NDP in 1973. Quiring Motors has always been a family affair. In the beginning, Elmer did the mechanical work on customers’ vehicles and Ann did the bookkeeping. Three of the original employees – Bill Fuchs, Bob Deans and his son Rodney stayed on with the new owners. Elmer and Ann’s two eldest sons, Richard and Robert also worked at the station and along with their father shared tow truck duties. Younger sons Ed and Bill became involved with the family business after school, working there full time once they completed high school. Daughters Barb and Debbie also helped out in the office and with other duties. Some of the grandchildren also helped out when they were older – pumping gas and taking calls during summer breaks and after school. The company and family became well-known in town, with a growing reputation for reliability, honesty and exemplary service as well as being a good corporate citizen. Many local high school students started their mechanic’s apprenticeship in the service bays and returned in later years as fulltime automotive mechanics. Elmer, Robert and Edward were also members of the local volunteer fire department, with Elmer serving many years as Fire Chief. The Quiring trucks also assisted other businesses, such as when the roof beams needed to be lifted up for the then-new Pearce Hardware Store. The front office of the service station was often full of local townspeople just stopping by for a cup of coffee and to catch up on the gossip. Elmer and Ann retired in 1975, selling the business to their four sons, with Robert’s wife Pam taking over the office duties. Eventually Bill left the company to work on Annacis Island and Ed moved to the northern interior area. The old company ceased operations and the downtown property was sold, with the building being demolished in 2000. Richard took over the automotive service sector of the company, with many of the old company’s regular customers still visiting him for vehicle repairs. Robert and Pamela retained the towing side of the operation, moving the dispatch office to west Aldergrove where Tami is now the office manager and their son Allan operates the tri-axle wrecker unit. Quiring Towing is often called on to execute difficult recovery jobs. In 1969 when a logging truck and trailer went off a road and 300 feet down a mountainside in North Bend BC, two of Quiring’s trucks were sent up by railcar to recover the vehicles. A few winters ago a loaded Super B truck and and trailer went off the road in Pine Pass BC, ending up on its side in a flowing river. The truck, trailers and lumber were all safely recovered. Quiring Towing has also executed animal rescues from wells and septic tanks, assisting both the fire department and local animal rescue in the operations. The company is one of the few in the Lower Mainland equipped to safely conduct such an operation, so far saving many animals from further injury or death. We also set up many scenarios as training exercises for the local fire department, assisting both the fire fighters and our drivers in learning the best ways to execute dangerous recoveries as well as how to work together as a team. Quiring Towing also sponsors local events and participates in safety fairs providing the trucks aren’t called out to work – continuing to be an active community member decades after the business was born.
