Father and daughters on call

While many dads will spend Father’s Day with their feet up, Karl Corpe is likely to be doing what he has done for years – answering the phone, heading out on the road and helping someone in trouble. Only these days, there is every chance one of his daughters will be working alongside him. Karl, 56, owns Mansfield’s K&M Automotive 4x4, where daughters Mellissa Corpe, 31, Shannon Wiseman, 27, and Jessica Corpe, 24, have each carved out their own role in the family business. For Karl, seeing his daughters build careers of their own in an industry he knows so well has become one of the most rewarding parts of the job. “I'm incredibly proud to see my daughters build careers in the industry and help people every day,” Karl said. Mellissa is a qualified auto electrician and roadside assistance patrol driver, while Jessica is a qualified mechanic who also heads out on roadside call-outs. Shannon keeps things moving behind the scenes as the depot’s office manager. Together, they form a family team accustomed to long days, difficult conditions and the occasional middle-of-nowhere rescue. For Karl, it is also a chance to share years of experience with his daughters while watching them develop their own skills and confidence. “Every call-out is different, but the goal is always the same – to get people safely back on the road,” he said. “Being able to do that together makes it even more special.” The family has been providing roadside assistance across Mansfield and the surrounding Alpine region since 2014 and attends about 2500 RACV Emergency Roadside Assistance callouts each year each year. Winter is among their busiest periods, with snow traffic bringing thousands of extra motorists through the region and plenty of flat batteries, punctures and breakdowns with them. But the Corpes know the job is about more than fixing a vehicle. Often they arrive when someone is stranded, worried and unsure what to do next. Jessica said being able to turn those situations around was one of the most satisfying parts of the work. “No two days are ever the same, and that's what I enjoy most about the job,” she said. “Whether it's changing a tyre, towing a vehicle or helping someone whose car has broken down on the side of the road, it's a great feeling knowing you've been able to get them moving again.” There is something fitting about the daughters now doing the same work they watched their father build a career around. Their paths have been different, but all three have become part of the business their dad helped establish, making K&M Automotive as much a family story as a workplace. And while Father’s Day might not necessarily mean a quiet Sunday for Karl, he will at least be spending part of it surrounded by the people who matter most. If the phone rings, chances are one of the Corpes will answer. And father and daughters may once again find themselves heading out together.