by Lyonel Doherty

The photograph says it all.

It shows Dillon Riplinger, at age 3, hunched over a fender applying dabs of paint with his watercolour set.

Nineteen years later, he’s doing the same thing, but on a different level, much to the pride of his dad Mike Riplinger at Gallagher Lake Auto Body.

“He always hung out here (in the shop). He was always in the middle whenever we started and finished a project.”

And he was great at making off with snacks left unguarded by the body man.

Dillon has grown up a lot since then. In fact, he recently obtained his Canadian “red seal” as an auto refinishing technician (painter). This came after a four-year apprenticeship in which he had to amass more than 3,000 hours of practical experience.

The 22 year old breathed a big sigh of relief, saying he’s glad all those hours are behind him. Dillon graduated from SOSS in 2007, when Mike and him worked on rebuilding a jeep as a graduation project. He then went to Australia for some life experience and returned to Oliver seeking employment. He got a job as a plumber, but found he didn’t like that profession very much.

“I always knew I’d come back to this (dad’s shop).”

Dillon admitted that he loves seeing the finished product (a vehicle, for example) after putting a lot of work into it. But this job demands a lot of meticulous focus, he stated.

You have to understand hazardous materials in the workplace, you have to be sensitive to the environment, and you can’t afford to make mistakes, especially when a gallon of auto paint can cost $800. Ouch!

“You don’t have to be an expert to see a poor finish,” Mike said, noting that a vehicle’s paint job is critical.

Dillon applies the paint with a spray gun while wearing a respirator, a job that is physically and mentally demanding. Spraying a vehicle can take two to three hours, but getting a vehicle ready for painting can take hundreds of hours. You even have to be somewhat of a chemist by knowing the paint mixing ratios and their compatibililty.

When asked who was the better painter, they didn’t offer a winner. However, Mike has been in the auto body business since 1979.

Dillon said his next move will likely be obtaining his red seal in collision and repair, just like dad. But that will take another four years of apprenticing.

Mike said he’s happy that Dillon stuck with the trade and was able to remain in Oliver to carve out a living.