Rising to every challenge, tough through every test

READING about the history of Pat & Tina’s bp Service Station and the Di Conza family, you get a sense of the adversities they have faced to get to this momentous time 50 years later.

As any small business owner would know, there are numerous challenges and obstacles to overcome in order to achieve long-term success. From economic downturns and changes in consumer behaviour to rising costs and intense competition, the road to success is seldom easy. But through hard work, dedication, and a commitment to exceptional customer service, the Di Conza family and Pat & Tina's bp Service Station have emerged as a shining example of resilience and perseverance.

business closed, but their home temporarily destroyed.

“We lived here from ‘73 when we opened, to about 1981-82, then Mum and my dad built a house in Lister Crescent (Shepparton).”

“We had to move because of the flood in ‘74 and we had to move everything out of the building. We moved into my grandmother’s house lived with them for a little period while the place got cleaned up.”

We had a fair bit of water at the front. We only had probably between 15 to 20cm of water through the shop this time

Less than a year after their official opening, Pat & Tina’s was forced to close in 1974 when Shepparton’s worst historic floods impacted the service station.

“1974 floods were really really bad. We had over a metre of water in the shop. Mum and Dad had to close for a long period until we got everything cleaned.”

At the time, the family lived in a small area at the back of the shop. Not only was their

Joe said “It was a double whammy, because it was our home and our business.”

It was not the last time, with the service station again being forced to close amidst 2022’s October flood event.

Joe said, “We had a fair bit of water at the front. We only had probably between 15 to 20cm of water through the shop this time.”

“We sandbagged as much as we could from the front in ‘74, but the water inundated us from behind and knocked all the sandbags out. We managed it a bit better this time from what we learned about sandbagging then.”

“In ‘74, they got us from the back. We never really did anything out the back, whereas this time, we sandbagged the back and the front. That slowed the water, and we didn’t get as much inside the shop this time around.”