September 2019

experience has made him de facto head technician. He explained a typical day to us: "My day generally consists of most if not all of the diagnostic and electrical work. That said, I also do pretty much everything from a puncture to welding to the MOT. It depends how the day goes. If there is no diagnostics, I will do a timing belt or a clutch or something else. Then some days I will just be doing MOTs all day. We tend to anything and everything so it every day is varied, which keeps things interesting, and exciting. You are not constantly doing the same thing, getting bored. " Neil said that this variety of work W hat a difference a year makes. When Aftermarket visited Dumfries and Galloway-based independent garage Robertson Gemini in late 2018, we were doing so because its staff member Neil Currie had become a regular in Top Technician's semi finals and finals. We were keen to see from whence he sprang. 10 months later, and he's only gone and won it. With this in mind, we wanted to revisit to see how Neil has been shaped by his time at the business, and how he is helping to shape it in return. To remind those readers who may have forgotten, Robertson Gemini is a family-owned independent based in the small town of Castle Douglas. Now in its 98th year of operation, owned and run by the Robertson family, the garage fields six ramps and a MOT bay. While it is equipped to cover most makes, the business is something of a Land Rover specialist, due to the rural surroundings. Don't be fooled by the description though. There is also a thriving second-hand car sales strand to the business, and investment is ongoing as the business keeps up with technology, training and tooling, as Neil explained: "They are benefitting me by giving me the latest tools to use, so that is improving my skills, and they are sending me on training. Working with those, and the level of car we are getting, such as some of the latest Land Rovers, is helping to keep my skills fresh and up to date with what is going on. "It definitely makes a difference with Top Technician, as you are getting all these weird and wonderful faults. Either you have seen it in the workshop, or you have done it on a training course, or you have read about it in the literature. It definitely 56 AFTERMARKET SEPTEMBER 2019 GARAGE VISIT www.aftermarketonline.net STAR OF THE HOUR – ROBERTSON GEMINI Above: Neil Currie and David Butler Aftermarket makes a return visit to Robertson Gemini, following Neil Currie's victory in Top Technician 2019 helps keep you at the sharp end. "I've been here four years now. A couple of the guys have left, I am now the second longest serving. I think that it helps you if you are working somewhere where you are getting training, and you are working on the right kind of cars, and you are using the right equipment, that all helps as well. They are all pieces of the puzzle. You are more settled and you come in every day and you know your job and you don't have to think about anything. It just becomes the norm." Experience Neil's time with the company, and his