Southpac Legends

Straight talking ‘fearless’ Fred Burling was not only a pioneer in the trucking industry but his work ethic was deemed ‘salutable’ by those that knew (or knew of) him. With a massive 60-year contribution to the freight and farming industry, not only from the Wairarapa area but throughout New Zealand, Fred really was a legend.

To say Frederick Allan Burling ‘Fred’ came from ‘humble beginnings’ is an understatement of epic proportions. Born in Hastings in 1940, his early life was fraught with difficulties, essentially a combination of hard times for the family and of course World War II resulted in Fred and his five siblings being placed into the Methodist Children’s home orphanag... ... 

From cleaning fizzy drink delivery trucks as a kid to meticulously repairing crashed Kenworth cabs, restoring the old and modifying the new as an adult, Willie Malcolm’s attention to detail and buzz about the industry has not only brought him a truck load of ardent admiration from his peers but his enthusiasm has been passed on to future generations to come - that’s why he’s a Southpac Legend.

Although Willie was born in Rotorua, his parents hailed from Sterling in Scotland. His father took up a role as a branch manager of a soft drink company that produced brands such as Schweppes and Coke, and that’s where Willie’s love of trucks began. He says, “As kids we went to work with D... ... 

For Graham Redington, Managing Director of the Northchill Group, his Kenworth T900 Legend, chassis number 65, is unequivocally the latter. Christened The Big Kahuna, this rig is more than just a truck; it’s the culmination of a lifelong passion and a rolling masterpiece that turns heads on every Kiwi road it graces.

The Kenworth Legend series holds a special place in the hearts of trucking aficionados. These are not mere retro-styled trucks; they are meticulously crafted t... ... 

Graeme and Raelene Skou’s 1977 W924 Kenworth may have started out life with Auckland’s Frankham Leasing as a conventional 350, but a little over four decades and a myriad of paint jobs later, and it’s been transformed into an award-winning showstopper that turns heads and drops jaws.

“We bought it back in 2016 and we totally stripped it and rebuilt the whole thing,” says Graeme. And boy did he.

With an 889137 chassis number and an IM9326 registration, the yellow and gold W924’s history began with carting general materials around the country by Alexander Grain and headed south to Hamilton where it remained until the early 80s, in various states of ownership/... ... 

If the ‘behind every great man…’ adage is true, then it’s safe to say that behind every great transport operator there’s been a great truck. Over the past 60 years Kenworth is a name that’s been synonymous with such outstanding trucks here in NZ, and regardless of configuration, size, or powertrain, over the years they have invariably been on some amazing journeys – here’s the first story about one of these Southpac Legends.

As with most things, it’s always good to start at the beginning, and what better place than this 848 from 1964, carrying the chassis number 81687. This conventional, tandem axle Kenworth actually arrived on NZ shores alongside a sister Kenworth... ...