Road transport as we know it today has its roots firmly planted within the early part of the twentieth century. The post war era of the late forties and early fifties, through necessity, saw an upsurge of small family owned businesses opening their doors. One such example was Donald and Alice Henderson of Pomahaka in the Clutha district.

For Donald and Alice’s oldest son Ross Henderson, it was a time filled with fond memories of hard work and camaraderie. “They were hard workers both Mum and Dad. Mum drove as well when needed, but she had no licence. So because I was only a youngster I would have to go with them. She would always put me in the truck that Dad was driving. Her theory was that if she was stopped by a cop, the fine for no HT licence would be one thing, but getting caught with no licence as well as a kid in the truck was a risk she was not prepared to take. A funny thing though, as far as I know Mum never did get pulled over by the cops,” Ross explained with a laugh.

The Commer Karriers loaded with all manner of produce from the Clutha District, an industrious era of post war rebuild.

Ross was fortunate to hear many stories from these early road transport days directly from his parents, as well as collect many photographs. Armed with this information, and the assistance of the fantastic team at Ideal Print in Tapanui, Ross has now complied and published a book that documents and pays tribute to the family’s efforts trading as ‘D M Henderson Carrier of Pomahaka’.

This book is an interesting read that gives us a glimpse back to simpler times, acting as a valuable time capsule filled with fascinating images of an industrious district, producing all manner of commodities for the nation.

To secure yourself a copy of this classic read, you can contact Ross directly at hendersontractors@gmail.com.