10/07/2024
Good bit of history of Gleesons Transport
🎖''PAHIATUA ICONS''🏅.
👱♂️ERIC GLEESON GENERAL CARRIER started on October 10,1932, during the Great Depression with Eric Gleeson(at 23) deciding to buy a truck and winning the seven-days-a-week contract to cart milk to Mauriceville Dairy Factory. On the return trip he would collect stones from Miki Miki for road works.
He was living at the family farm at Mangaramarama then. He was asked to cart pigs, so had to make up a frame to go around the deck, which started the livestock haulage side of the business.
In 1937 he bought more trucks and employed drivers with three trucks at the end of World War II. Trucks got bigger with the first cab over engine being a 1951 Bedford.
A "swag" of trucks and trailers and front-end loaders were purchased as the years went on.
On the 20th of July 1964 Eric Gleeson General Carriers became..
GLEESON TRANSPORT LIMITED.
Paul Gleeson joined the business on December 15, 1965, having been an A-Grade mechanic at Ryans Garage for six and a half years. He enjoyed the work, with the top truck clocking up only 35,000 miles in a year. The reason was that the bulk of the work was from the Pahiatua Railway Station. There was a Government limit of 30 miles [48km] of cartage parallel to the rail lines north and south, to protect the business of the railways. There were heavy penalties if these limits were exceeded. Deregulation saw an end to the regulations in the late 1970s.
Eric retired in 1969 when Maurice joined the business and worked in partnership with Paul until 2015 when Paul left.
Maurice was an A-Grade mechanic at Terry's Garage at 44 Main Street and topped New Zealand at the same time as certified mechanic Graeme Parker, who also topped New Zealand for his marks. "Mr Terry was chuffed," said Maurice.
As well as continuing to buy more trucks, the business took over Buckley's Transport, G. H. Powell Ltd at Makuri, Matthews Bros and Moss Shultz's trucking business at Hukanui.
(For a period of time Gleeson Transport Limited used more names, namely: Gunn Transport Limited from 10 Oct 1978 to 05 Sep 1997, Woodville Pahiatua Freighters Limited 20 Jul 1964 to 10 Oct 1978).
They started carting stock to Gear Meat in Petone loaded up with trucks and trailers. Right up until recently when Gleeson's Transport began winding down there were still five of the business's clients that had been with founder Eric Gleeson remaining loyal.
😐Sadly, Maurice Gleeson passed away In June 2023 age 82. R.I.P Maurice.
Photo: Paul Lea 1946 Ford, 2007 Xmas Parade.
(Most text 'Hawke's Bay Today).
