Ashley and Ricky Rodgers’ journey to starting and running their transport operation, the next entry in a generational story, is one of history and coming together.

Thirty-six-year-old Ashley was born and bred in Cromwell and blooded into transport as the oldest daughter of well- known South Island transport operators Barbara and Ross ‘Smiley’ Millard. “They had Earthmovers Cromwell first and worked on the Clyde Dam. There was a guy who carted produce to Christchurch and back, and Dad and Raymond ‘Shorty’ Neason bought that operation, and Summerland grew from there,” Ashley explains.

At the time, Ashley and her sister Jervase were about the same age as the Rodgers girls are now. With her school career ending at 16, the only thing for it was an early full-time entry into the family business.

“The principal went to Mum and Dad to give me a job. I was in the office for a while, then I got my truck licence and started doing the Wānaka run. I can’t remember for how long; it was quite a few years ago,” Ashley says. From there, she progressed to managing the Summerland Queenstown depot, where she stayed for 10 years.

By this time, a certain Ricky Rodgers had long been in the picture, having started working for Smiley at age 18. Born in Clyde, Ricky moved to Cromwell at 19 when he and Ashley became an item. Save for a wee stint in the Pilbara at age 23, the now 38-year-old Ricky was always in and around the ‘Summerland family’.

His family history is entrenched in trucking, too, with his dad Marc Rodgers enjoying a 20-year career driving for Fulton Hogan when it was still Alexandra Transport. “I grew up with him there, in school holidays, whenever. When I got kicked out of school, I became a diesel mechanic but didn’t finish my ticket … I’d be out test-driving a truck and find myself way, way up the road!” he says with a laugh.

“So that’s when I started on a class 2 truck with Smiley. I chipped away at it and progressed from there. I’ve always liked the trucks – not so much the curtainsider work, but it’s what we did. It’s easy, but when you get to think and interact with customers, I find that side of things interesting. You’re not just another night- runner going through.”

After her time managing the Queenstown depot, Ashley returned to Cromwell and started managing the depot there. “That’s when I fell pregnant with Maisie, and I just did bits and pieces after that. Kind of anything … swaps to Christchurch … whatever Dad had me do! I was with the company for just over 20 years by the time they sold it in 2022.”

She reminisces: “Mum and Dad had Summerland just short of 30 years. For the 25th in 2018, we surprised them with all the trucks lined up on the track at Highlands, with managers and ex-employees there. We got Steve and Jill Murphy to take them away and fly them in from Tekapo as a ‘gift’ for their wedding anniversary. They flew in, and Dad was like, ‘What are my trucks doing there?’ They didn’t have an inkling at all!”

With Barbara and Smiley moving towards retirement, the opportunity was there for Ashley and Jervase to take over the business. “Sis went over to Perth as a scheduler for Caltex. After a few years she came back with her partner Shaun – he was Central Otago operations manager based in Cromwell and Jervase went into finance to give Mum a hand.

“We both had the opportunity to take over but didn’t want to. It was too big – 180 staff, 109 vehicles … F that! Selling was the best outcome for Mum and Dad, and for us. We could do our own thing. I felt bad because they might not be able to survive without me! Now I look back and realise no one’s irreplaceable. But at the time, you don’t want to let them down. Jervase is now the freight finance manager.

“We’re a real close family,” Ashley says. “Mum and Dad are super-proud of our journey, 100%. We’ve got no huge ambition, we don’t want to be anyone or get any bigger, we just want to survive. It’s something we’re building and doing for the kids. And they’re totally into it; they find it cool how Melx is their name. When they get older, they’ll be like how we were about Summerland.”

Given the family history, Ashley and Ricky’s hard work and dedication, and the girls’ enthusiasm around the trucks, we don’t doubt that for a second.