North Canterbury News: August 03, 2023

NEWS
The North Canterbury News, August 3,2023
25
Vintage truck has close family connection
By JOHN COSGROVE
When Louise Kidd started researching
her family tree, she wasn’t expecting to
discover an old truckshe drives past
regularly would haveastrong family
connection.
She discovered an old Bedfordtruck
in Kaiapoi that her grandfather, George
Gough Kidd, used to operate for many
years, moving vegetables to market in
Christchurch fromthe family market
gardens.
The vintage Bedfordtruck is now
used as apromotional vehicleoutside
the Kaikanui Tavern on Williams
Street.
While researching her family tree,
and finding the photo of the truck taken
in 1954, she alsodiscovered she has 460
new relatives.
‘‘It’s got granddad's name on the side
and Irecognised it as the one parked
outsidethe tavern.
‘‘My auntsand uncles who still live in
Kaiapoihave told me about the truck
and our connection with it.
‘‘Granddad solditatauction in 1971
when he retiredfrom the business.’’
She says it is nice to see apieceofher
family history everytime she goes
throughKaiapoi.
Louise's familywere multigenerational
market gardeners in the
Marshlandsarea from the 1880s.
‘‘I remember being told granddad
used to sell peas on the roadside until
midnight on Christmas Eve everyyear,’’
says Louise.
‘‘Granddad started using the truck
back in 1952, after yearsofhauling
producetothe marketswith ahorse
and cart.’’
But sincethe Bedford truck has been
sittinginthe tavern's car park,Louise
says it is ashame to see it in such apoor
state.
‘‘It’s beentagged,windowssmashed
and it should be in amuseum.’’
KaikanuiTavern owner Julian Eagle
says he inheritedthe old truck when he
bought the business from its previous
owner, Trevor Inwood.
‘‘It came with the chattels and Ididn’t
know what to do with it, so Ileft it
there.’’
He knew Trevor, an avid truck
collector, had bought it to use it as a
promotional feature for the tavern.
‘‘Over the yearsafew collectors have
wanted to buy it, but Iturnedthem
down.
‘‘Now, withthe state it is in, Imight be
tempted,’’hesays.
Mr Eagle says it is ‘‘justterrible’’
what somepeople have done to the old
truckrecently.
‘‘Every so often, someone gets it into
theirmind to damageit.
Recently someone liftedaheavy
grateoff the street and threw it into the
truck’s windscreen.
‘‘It has been tagged many times, the
windows smashed, and had its tires
slashed’’.
Trevor Inwood, says he was only the
thirdowner of the truck.
Trevor, awell­known transport
industry identity in Canterbury, bought
the truck in 2012 or 2013.
He had spotted it in abarn on a
property in Fernside and bought it as a
promotional tool for the tavern.
He remembers beingtold it had been
used as afarm truck from new in 1952 or
1953 and then later as agraveltruck
before ending up in abarn.
The truck isn’t the only publicitem
connectingLouisewith her family’s
history.
George GKidd had marriedEthel
May Stewart,whose mother was
Margaret Jane Stewart (known as
Janet), from anotherwell knownmarket
Lovely find ... This classic 1951 Bedford K30 Truck with 48,000 miles on the clock, is used
as apromotional item in the car park of the Kaikanui Tavern in Kaiapoi.
PHOTO: JOHN COSGROVE
gardening family. Janet's property
covering an area of 1.9 hectares which
runs parallel with Lower Styx Roadfor
approximatelyakilometre, was
bequeathed to the Christchurch City
Council by her son Eddie in his will, on
the condition it was named in honour of
his mother. It is now known as the Janet
Stewart Reserveonthe corner of Lower
Styx Road and MarshlandsRoad.
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