Pakenham Mazda celebrated “an incredibly exciting milestone” with a gala opening party last Thursday to kick off a massive three-day sale on Friday and over the weekend.
The occasion was the official launch of the Clough family’s move from Nar Nar Goon to a new state-of-the-art dealership in Commercial Drive, Pakenham.
The Nar Nar Goon site, where the late Bruce Clough began the journey almost four decades before, will stay open as a service station.
“We thought it was time to stop and pause to celebrate what we have achieved here,” Bruce’s eldest son Paul, now dealer principal, told guests at Thursday’s launch.
“What a place! We are still pinching ourselves to be honest.
“It is the next chapter in our story, which began in 1974 when Dad bought a very humble little garage in Nar Nar Goon.
“It’s a story we are very proud of and Dad’s legacy laid the foundations for where we are today.”
Paul said that since opening the doors in Pakenham back in December, the response from customers had been phenomenal.
“We have had no time to settle in really,” he said. “Sales have hit the roof. We had 100 orders in January and we had 54 last year at Nar Nar Goon in a record year.”
Paul described the new dealership as an “incredible space”.
“We are in a great location and it is our endeavour to continue to deliver first class service,” he said.
“Dad taught us that the hallmark of business is to provide the customer with a good car sales and service experience. That drives us every day.”
Paul acknowledged the presence of Gary and Alma Elliott, who were part of the town’s original Mazda dealership and pointed out the Mazda 1800 model in the foyer, a favourite of their era.
“I would like to acknowledge and thank Mazda Australia for the opportunity to represent a world class brand in this area,” he said.
Mazda Australia managing director Martin Benders said it was good to see success stories like that of the Cloughs and he added that “Bruce will be flying around up there seeing what is going on”.
“I am sure Gary (Elliott) is pleased to see the Mazda symbol back up in Pakenham,” he said.
In the lead-up to the launch, Pakenham Mazda gave away three weekend getaways across the region, involving luxury accommodation and a Mazda to make the journey.
They were won by Cheryl Windsor of Nar Nar Goon, Jan DeSantis from Nar Nar Goon and Marc Wilson from Yarram in South Gippsland.
Guests were entertained by Kooweerup songstress Georgia Denton, a former X Factor contestant.
