Newspaper Article – Retirements from road, sea transport

Retirements from road, sea transport
By Brian McErlane

44 years in shipping industry at an end

Perhaps the best known person in the Hawke’s Bay shipping industry, Mr Eric Presling, retired yesterday as managing director of C. A. Olsen Ltd, the shipping agency he established in Napier 23 years ago.

Mr Presling spent a total of 44 years in the shipping industry, handling hundreds of ships through the Port of Napier.

Although he is retiring he will continue as chairman of directors of his company. He is being succeeded by Mr Peter Boshier, who has been on the staff for a year and will occupy the position of general manager.

Napier born and bred, Mr Presling started his shipping career with C.H. Cranby Ltd, a firm that specialised in building materials and shipping agents.

Between 1941 and 1962 Mr Presling rose from office boy to company secretary and shipping manager. In 1962 when Cranby’s were taken over by Winstone’s to become Winstone Cranby, Mr Presling was personally offered the Napier agency for the Dutch Lines, which he accepted and formed the company of C.A. Olsen Ltd.

He was joined in 1969 by Mr Vic Heath, who became a shareholder and director after the Richardson Shipping Company in Napier was closed down.

Today the company boasts a staff of nine. During the time Mr Presling has been at the helm the company has been agents for 23 different flag ships.

They include British, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, German, French, Belgian, Italian, Yugoslavian, Russian, Indian, Australian, New Zealand, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Singaporean, Canadian, Panamanian, Greek and Philippine.

Problems

“Although we often had language problems, we could make ourselves understood and the ships always got through,” Mr Presling said.

He also recollects the first ship he dealt with. That was in 1943 and the vessel was a Russian freighter which loaded wool for Vladivostok but was sunk on the homeward voyage.

Of the shipping lines he dealt with, the main ones were the Dutch Lines, the Japan Line and the Scancarriers.

Mr Presling was instrumental in attracting the large roll-on roll-off Scancarriers to Napier and he was directly involved as a member of the Hawke’s Bay Harbour Board in having the Kirkpatrick Wharf at the port extended to handle these large ramp-loading vessels.

It was a great disappointment to Mr Presling when the Scancarriers decided to withdraw the Napier service to Europe.

Over the last few years his company has averaged 100 ship calls a year and during that time Mr Presling received a lot of assistance from former harbour masters, Captain Tom Beaven and the late Captain Cyril Beaven.

“I admired the way they handled ships without tugs or radios and they were of great help in many ways in the early days,” he said.

“The harbour had changed a lot in that time too, from a two finger berth harbour that was subject to all the rough seas to a large all weather port.

“Shipping has changed too. Once ships were in port from anything from a week to 10 days and you got to know the people running them personally. Now ships are in and out in a couple days and it is not the same.

“I was also fortunate to be involved with shipping in times that it was good economically, with most shipping companies in a prosperous situation. Today the shipping industry, like other transport companies, are being hard hit and it is hard from them to make a profit.”

Mr Presling was chairman of the Napier branch of the Port Employers’ Association and he is proud of the fact that he managed to create a sense of harmony between the employers and employees.

“Before that it was a ‘them and us’ situation,” he said. “I am proud to say that I have a lot of friends who are watersiders.”

Mr Presling also said it had been an advantage being locally born and bred. This was often appreciated by ships’ principals because the shipping industry relied very much on trust, he said.

Mr Presling has been a member of the harbour board for eight years and in his retirement he will concentrate on his two hobbies – gardening and bowls umpiring.

Photo caption – MR Eric Presling (right) who yesterday retired as managing director of the Napier shipping agency, C. A. Olsen Ltd, ending a 44-year association with the shipping industry. With him is the company’s new general manager, Mr Peter Boshier.

End of an era
By Brian McErlane

Yesterday marked the end of an era with the retirement of Messrs Frank and Joe Mahony from the Napier-based transport company of J. Mahony & Sons Ltd, the oldest carrying firm in New Zealand run by the same family.

Between them the brothers served the company that was established by their grandfather, John Mahony, for a total of 100 years. Mr Frank Mahony, 75, has worked for the firm for 60 years and Mr Joe Mahony for 40 years.

Mr Frank Mahony’s son, Phillip, has now taken over the reigns, and he will be assisted on a part-time basis by his public accountant brother, Terry.

Mr Frank Mahony, who has a marvellously retentive memory and is still able to remember when every truck in the firm was bought, this week recalled some the company’s 123-year history.

His grandfather, John Mahony, came to New Zealand from Ireland in 1850 and after a couple of sorties overseas returned to work and live in Napier in 1859.

Three years later he started the carrying firm with a horse and dray. As his family of seven sons and three daughters grew up they entered the business, which by then included a lot of mail contracts.

“Each of the sons used to clear the mail boxes on horse back,” Mr Frank Mahony said.” We also used to meet all the boats and ships for the mail.”

Family

Mr John P. Mahony (Frank’s father) brought out the rest of the family in 1913 and the following year the firm bought its first truck, a Willys overland utility, a chain-driven vehicle.

“We started the run to Hastings, which we still have, and we gradually got more trucks as business improved.”

Frank Mahony entered the business in 1924, getting his licence at the age of 15 while still at school.

“I used to drive my father around as he never held a licence,” he said. “In 1930 we successfully applied for the Arapawanui mail contract and we have had it ever since.

“At that time T. W. Hercock was working for us and Dad talked him into applying for the Gisborne mail contract, which he got and started up on his own in 1931. Mr Hercock was a very clever man and he later became the Mayor of Napier.

“I took over the Arapawanui run and did it for 35 years. (In 1972 Mr Mahony was awarded the BEM for services to the Arapawanui mail service).

“We started with four mail bags, operating one day a week, travelling through Waipatiki, and I had to get out 24 times to open gates.

“After the 1931 earthquake we were forced to go round the coast road, going through two rivers, along two beaches and a cliff edge that was only two feet from a big drop into the sea.

“In 1939 we also took over Kaiwaka South and Tareha. The people in these areas had never previously had a mail man and they always came out to meet the mail trucks, while the kids would always stand outside the school and wave.

“I used to drink up to 25 cups of tea a day as I stopped to chat with the folk and give them the news. It was dynamite.”

Mr Mahony still remembers all the people he serviced in those days and he rattled off the following names. –

Angus McKinnon (Arapawanui Station), where he always had lunch, Peppers, Broome, Frank Mahony (an uncle), Turners, E. R. Lowe, Ford Bros, J. Lowe, S. Bennett, Dave Bain, S. Holdgard, Grindell, F. K. Wilkie, McKain Bros, W. McKinnon (Glendale Station), A. G. Stead (Ridgemount Station), R. R. White, F. Hammond, C. A. Cikvertsen [Sigvertsen?], J. L. Fraser, P. A. Arnold, G. J. Chambers, M. W. Pearse, E. Henderson, J. Turnbull, Mr and Mrs Porter, McAulay, Hyde, Mr and Mrs C. R. Lee (they had the Koraki telephone exchange), Mr Puckett (Kaiwaka South School), H. O. D. Burke, Fred Lee, A. E. Beattie (he stood for the Hawke’s Bay electorate), McGill, Rudenklau [Ruddenklau], Staffers and Kyle.

“I am proud we still have this contract today. I still work in the mail room at the Napier Post Office five days a week sorting the mail for Arapawanui. It takes an hour a day and I hope to continue doing this even though I am retired.”

He has seen the firm of Mahony’s grow out of the horse and cart era to a company that now operates 20 trucks, 10 trailers and four forklifts.

He holds his head high as he says: “We took a pride in everything we did and I have always enjoyed helping people. If I had my time over again I would do it all again. I’ve had a wonderful time …”

Brother Joe, a much quieter man and a very keen sportsman, also must have a rare claim to fame in the transport industry. He would surely be one of the few operators who has never had a driver’s licence. He relies on his brother Frank, his wife or friends to drive him.

He joined the company in 1945 and his role over most of the time has been secretarial.

Mahony’s won’t be the same without Frank and Joe, but they will never be forgotten.

Photo caption – Mr Frank Mahony beside one of his company’s trucks.