Storm Kingi Hema 14 May 1948 to 24 April 2016

‘Larger than life’, and ‘hard case’, are the characterisations you most often hear from the trucking whanau who knew Storm Harrison’s namesake, Storm Hema.

When you ask about the trucks he owned and operated, there is one that immediately springs to mind for all – his first E9 V8-powered Mack Super-Liner, ‘Mighty Mutt’. The Mutt, as it was affectionately known, was one of those trucks that earned a reputation over time, which has never gone away.

At the time, the average E9 was pumping out 500 to 525hp. But Storm was in pursuit of a little more performance. A series of tweaks ensued, and after these, the Mighty Mutt purportedly produced 640hp at the wheels. On the surface, this may seem a stretch, however, seeing it fully loaded heading for Whirinaki on the Napier-Taupo, breaking traction and spinning wheels as it powered into the base of the left-hander at the bottom of Tarawera, dispelled all doubts that this was an elastic imagination at work. This truck had torque and plenty of it.

Storm Hema with his first truck contracted to Pan Pac, the ‘Pink Panther’. A Cat-powered W-model Kenworth, ex-Sinton & Son Contractors.

A party trick performed by Storm on an occasion or two was holding back on the likes of the Titiokura and allowing the big flash tour coaches to get up alongside. Just when the driver of the coach was parallel, thinking he had his passing manoeuvre in the bag, Storm, looking through the window at him, would give the Mutt a boot full and power away. This left a rather bewildered coach driver checking to see if he had accidentally pulled the park brake on.

Aside from Storm’s trucking and logging escapades, he had lifelong friendships that meant the world to him. One, in particular, was Ellie Harrison. Storm and Ellie worked alongside each other in and out of the Pan Pac mill at Whirinaki. But their history went back further still, to Freightways.

Ellie, chatting about his memories of his good mate, is quick to recite the story when he told Storm he was going to be a dad.

“Storm said, ‘If it’s a boy, you name him after me, and I will shout you a keg’,” Ellie says with a laugh. “Forty-odd years later and I’m still waiting for that keg.”