The 99-year-old Victorian mechanic still working six days a week

Locals call it the Mallee Track.

A 185-kilometre section of the Mallee Highway, it stretches from Manangatang in north-west Victoria to the South Australian border.

And near the midpoint on this often-lonely road is a garage.

Its fuel bowsers stand to attention as if saluting the passing traffic.

Welcome to Underbool, a town of just 215 people where an unremarkable steel-clad building holds a rather remarkable tale and a possible world record holder.

Walk into the workshop, and you'll be greeted by the garage's head mechanic, 99-year-old Ray Gloster.

Ray has worked at A.J. Gloster and Sons for 83 years.

He still turns up six days a week to work on local vehicles and sometimes the cars of the infrequent passing parade.

The tools of time

When Ray Gloster was born in 1927, cars were still a rarely seen novelty.

That same year Charles Lindbergh completed the first solo transatlantic flight, the first "talkies" movie was released and federal parliament opened in Canberra.

Ray's father, Arthur "Joe" Gloster, had opened the family garage two years prior, in 1925, and began selling Chevrolet cars the year Ray was born.

"They were selling at 200 pounds each then, imagine that?" Ray says as he sits amid boxes of car parts collected over the decades.

"In 1930, he [Ray's father] swapped buildings with someone that had a store in the front. He always wanted to be on the main street, and the other garage was on the side street. So, they did a swap.

"We sold Chevrolets, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles and then Holdens until they said they didn't want to deal with us anymore, and they closed down the year after that.

Ray has fond memories of the first Holden rolling into the workshop in 1948, the FX. He still thinks it was the best model produced and was his favourite car to work on.

While the car market has changed, Ray has declared the family is "not getting into electric ones".

"We're not particularly interested in them," he says.

"And out here in the country, I can't see electric cars taking over because you're too far away from help if you get any problems."

Outside of his work, Ray and his family have a long history of supporting their community.

He has been a justice of the peace, the projectionist at the local town hall's movies and president of the local hospital board and bowls club.

Ray also remembers when his father declared the town needed electricity.

"In 1932 he said, 'I'm sick of these kerosene lights,' and decided to bring electricity to Underbool," Ray says.

"He brought people from Melbourne to install the poles, and wire the homes and businesses."

A record awaits

As much as Ray may not like attention, he may be in for a large dose of it: A Guinness World Record as the world's oldest mechanic beckons.

The current record holder is Italian mechanic Fabio Sabbioni, who was born on October 27, 1927.

Mr Sabbioni was aged 97 years and 64 days when his record was verified on December 30, 2024.

However, Ray was born on April 15, 1927.

While Ray is older, according to Guinness World Records, he would "need evidence, including proof of age, proof of employment / paid work, confirmation that he has worked as a mechanic at least once a month within the past year, and photographic / documentary evidence of his work over the years".

Ray's family is currently in the process of gathering the paperwork to prove his case.

Family ties

Few businesses can say they spanned five generations; even fewer can say four of those generations still work side by side.

Ray's sons Doug Gloster and Robert Gloster work alongside him.

Doug, who, along with Robert, took ownership of the business more than 40 years ago, says it was all he wanted to do.

"And to work with your father, I guess. I think it's just wonderful to be able to do that for so many years," Doug says.

Robert's son, Cameron Gloster, says he was born into the business, as was his son, Frankie Gloster, the fourth generation working in the workshop.

Frankie is in year 12 and works at the garage two days a week as part of his studies.

Cameron says the 17-year-old is unsure if he will carry on the family business.

"It's not a big wage place now with living costs and all that. You can't make a lot of money," Cameron says.

However, even if he does not continue the business, Frankie says he wants to stay in Underbool.

"It's just memories from when I first started coming here as a little kid, and then just kept doing things that I want to do, and work with my father, all my parents, my great-grandfather," Frankie says.

"He's 99, and he's as old as the business, pretty much, and it's pretty special."

Plenty in the tank

Despite his age, Ray says he remains fit, although he does not do as much as he once did.

While still actively involved in the workshop, he says he has no plans to stop, even if on quieter days you'll find him in the shop office playing Sudoku or chatting to passers-by as they fill up with fuel on their way through.

"While I can still walk, I'll still come and, you know, make a nuisance of myself here," Ray says.

"If they don't want me out in the workshop, I'll sit here and do some Sudokus.

"I don't take the work away from the boys, but they often need a bit of help holding something. I go around picking up the tools and filling up different containers, and I do change tyres."

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