“We’re proud that several of our staff are second- and third-generation members of families who have worked with us.”

Not too many truck and trailer units and a predominance of British brands in the Ellesmere fleet shot from 1963.

Sling system allowed classic square hay bales to be stacked really, really high; shallow fords were a regular prospect, even river crossings occasionally; like the hay, wool bales were stacked high in times gone by. company, I say sell it.”

In Mark’s case, after he left school, he worked on a mixed cropping farm for around a year, then joined Wrightsons, working in the merchandise store at Leeston before shifting after a year to the Christchurch office. This progressed to helping a Lincoln-based stock agent, after which he shifted to Cheviot with his own territory, from Greta Valley to Cheviot.

All up he had about five years with Wrightsons, says Mark: “I was told from an early age not to expect to leave school and drop into an automatic job with Ellesmere. The work with Wrightsons carried a lot of responsibility and I really enjoyed it. But then a couple of things happened in my life, and I figured it was time to head home.”

As for Mark’s own children, the eldest, 22-year-old Tom, is working on a farm in Cheviot and loving it, says his father:

“He has his own team of dogs, plays rugby with the local club, and is part of a group of young men in the area who all get on very well with each other. Our elder daughter is in her second year of a nursing degree and her younger sister, who is still at school, is thinking of a career in the health field as well.

“I would love to see our children play a part in the business, but they’re only young, and the two who are in the workforce at the moment are really enjoying doing what they’re doing. And as a parent that’s all you want for them. They always know they can come home, but it has to be their decision.”

Paul’s path to Ellesmere Transport was a little more direct, being put back only a couple of years by overseas travel. His two sons are still at school, but neither has expressed interest in joining the company. Like Mark and his father, Paul is pretty relaxed about that situation. As well as his company position, he is the Canterbury area representative on the NZ Livestock Transport & Safety Group.

Visiting Ellesmere Transport leaves you with a strong impression of a place where people like to work. Mark Righton hopes that’s true: “I want them to enjoy working here, we don’t want them to do anything that Murray, Paul or myself wouldn’t ordinarily do ourselves. That’s why we like getting out there and mixing it with the boys, working up a sweat, getting a bit of dirt under the nails, having a bit of banter. They might be feeling some pain, but when they know you’re feeling the same it can go a long way.

“We try to treat people the way we’d like to be treated ourselves, and when we’re dishing out jobs to our employees, we like to give them as much information as we can, so they understand what’s involved.

“One of the things we’re quite proud of is the fact that several of our staff are second- and third-generation members of families who have worked with us.”

In common with every other company, it’s a constant challenge to attract drivers, he adds: “Every operator wants 25-year-old drivers with a Class 5 licence and several years of experience to walk through the door looking for a job. But those people barely exist anymore. And I look at our 80-odd staff and realise everybody’s getting older, so something needs to be done.

“As a result, around three years ago we stopped advertising