Carson
Don Carson filled us in on a bit of the Carson Transport history-
His father – Bill Carson, together with Andrew Miller, operated as Carson & Miller in Riversdale from 1936 to 1939 and Bill Carson started as a Carrier in Balfour a few days before WW 2 started in 1939.
In 1959 Donnie (Don) left school to help Bill as his health was in a bad way, and he passed aged 52 in 1964.
Don married in July 1972 and his wife Pam slotted into the role, handling the phone and bookwork as things worked in rural transport operations back in the day.
In 1975 the business expanded with the purchase of W K Dover & Son and Pam’s workload increased, spending 6-8 hours most days in her office as well as raising three boys.
Don recalled that they had a wall with a sliding door between them. On a few occasions he reckoned that that door closed so fast it almost extended the end outside wall!!!!.
Don sat for his heavy traffic licence at the age of 16. At times you could apply for H T Licenses under special circumstances and the Traffic Cop as they were known then, asked me to drive the Leyland 75 to prove I knew what I was doing. We traveled around 4-5 miles and once back at the yard he asked me questions. “Please give me two-instances where the right hand rule doesn’t apply.” After about 30 seconds Don replied that he didn’t know and the cop said it was “a compulsory stop and Traffic Lights”, then promptly wrote out my Heavy Traffic Licence.
“Being a country boy I most probably hadn’t seen either of those,” Don pointed out.
Carson Transport Ltd was formed in the early 1960s with the family being shareholders. Long working hours were common and at that stage three-carriers were operating in Balfour Don remembers.
By late 1960s the other 2 had amalgamated and Don with his wife purchased that business (WK Dover & Son) in 1975.
With the help of some very good staff members Don said that they concluded operations with 10 trucks, a number of trailers and ancillary gear, that included five Volvos, one ERF, two Izuzu, and a Mercedes 4×4 and Nissan 4×4 spreaders.
Some health issues, the boys not wanting to take on the transport and other factors saw Carson Transport sell to Bill Richardson in 2001, to be absorbed into the Andrew’s Transport 1993 Ltd, of Riversdale operation as part of the HWR Group.
Since semi-retirement he kept busy on the fringes of the industry, helping NSTH out for a while, droving touring coaches for Johnstons Coach Lines for nine years – 50% of the time driving the demanding Milford road, a job he said he enjoyed immensely, as he enjoyed meeting people.
One of Don’s hobbies was the restoration of the 1964 Forward Control Landrover pictured here – which originally worked for the Ministry of Works at Benmore.
Carson_29Volvo_logger_quad_semi_80s.jpg
Don Carson had quite a diverse fleet at the time this shot was taken in late ’80s.
The NL12 Volvo was working under logs on what was a reasonably comment configuration in the day – a quad-axled semi .
Other brands in the fleet included Mack and ERF which showed that operators usually hedged their bets as the swarm of new and often untested brands were pouring into the country. Mack and Volvo of course have stood the test of time on our shores – ERF, however, fell by the way after a history of 100 and more years of putting trucks and traction-engines to work on our shores.
arson_28R-series_Mack_tipper_super.jpg
Unusual even in its day when this was photographed in the late eighties/early nineties, this R-series Mack was set up as a dedicated lime and superphosphate spreader, and pulled a three-axle dedicated bulk trailer.
Don Carson operated in Balfour which has some of Southland’s finest plains country spreading out from every point of the compass, and this truck and it’s application resonates with the GMC 6×6 ex-military trucks that were put to work in this application for decades after the war.
It might not have been 6×6 but it certainly would have been a lot quieter and more comfortable…
ZC10-ERF-Carson-1-1.jpg
Carson Transport Ltd was based at Balfour in Southland, and was distinctive for its lime-green livery – shown to great effect in this shot.
ERF was one of the brands that helped build New Zealand, but by the eighties it was struggling and eventually the name disappeared as PACCAR took it on itself to rationalise the British truck manufacturing industry.
Carson’s were a great example of rural transport at its best, with the small Balfour community nestled amongst some of the best farming country in New Zealand and well-served by Don Carson, his staff and predecessors, before selling the company and retiring.
Carson-1-Kenworth_livestock_semi.jpg
At the time of shooting the Carson fleet in the ninties, Don Carson had a diverse fleet, with his ‘King Rig’ no doubt being this K100 Kenworth, seen here in livestock mode on the day.
Carson_Isuzu_livestock__1.jpg
Carson_Isuzu_livestock_.jpg
Carson-2-Mitsie_stock_.jpg
Carson spreading in Southland in the 1980s. These TWA Nissans proved very good in the role.
Don Carson operated a very diverse and classy operation out of Balfour in Southland, and was always up for experimentation when it came to spreading.
Carson advert
Carson Transport operated out of Balfour in Southland and promoted their services with this advert in the 1960s.
1946 Reo Speedwagon wool Balfour Carson
Carson Morris Balfour Southland
A Pair of Morris four-wheelers, one set up as a fert-spreader, working for Carson's Transport of Balfour in the late 1950s. Note the Phone number on the front of the trucks - 5.
Balfour wasn't very big in those days and still isn't.
1950 Leyland 75 Carson Balfour Southland
Fert handling Carson Volvos
A typical scene in Southland with Carson's Volvos moving big quantities of superphosphate to help Southland maintain its place as one of the most productive farming grazing regions in the world.
Nissan spreader 4x4 Carson
Carson FC Landrover 1964
Carson fert shed
Carson fert shed Balfour
The hub of every rural operation was the fertilizer shed which had to be kept stocked with lime from Browns, and superphosphate from Arwarua near Invercargill in this case. This and other sheds made possible the phenomenal productivity of New Zealands rural sector.
Carson FL10 Volvo Mitsubishi
The fert shed in action - one of Carsons's eight-wheeler FL10 Volvo tippers, along with its three axle trailer getting ready to resupply the fert shed.
Carson fleet
Fleets were often diverse for much of New Zealands road transport history as seen here, as currency fluctuations, technology and performance all had a part in the purchasing decision.
Mack Midliner stockcrates 3 in 1
A fine example of what was required from a truck in the 1980s.
Seen here under livestock crates, this combination could also be converted to a tipper with bins in about 20 minutes.
The days of specialisation were on the horizon but rural trucks were engineered to be adaptable to the job in hand.
This Mack Midliner could gross out at 39-tonne in the eighties, but a modern combination could have nine-axles and gross at 50-tonne.
Volvo tipper Carson southland
1958 Leyland Comet 100 HP. Ex Mossburn Transport Restored by me
1958 Leyland Comet 100 HP. Ex Mossburn Transport Restored by me
2 of our 5 Volvo's FL10 & FL12. 1982 Mitsubishi 315 wanted a look in too
2 of our 5 Volvo's FL10 & FL12. 1982 Mitsubishi 315 wanted a look in too