Whanganui roading contractor Robbie Atkinson retires after 50 years on the area’s network

Robbie Atkinson says he will miss passing on knowledge to younger workers coming through. Photo / Mike Tweed

Robbie Atkinson has found himself with time to work on old cars and do “one or two jobs a day” around his property.

The Downer resource manager has retired after 50 years of service on Whanganui’s roads.

His career began in 1975 when he signed up as a labourer with the Wanganui County Council.

“Back in those days, there was a lot of shovelling,” Atkinson said.

“The county looked after the Matarawa Cemetery on No 2 Line so we had to dig graves there.”

Through the years, Atkinson progressed from labourer to operator and on to senior operator and foreman.

“Wanganui County joined with Waitotara County and a couple of years later we joined up with the city council to become the Whanganui District Council,” he said.

“In around 1996, the Government changed regulations and councils had to tender work out or set up local trading enterprises.

“We were turned in to Rivercity Contractors for a couple of years, before we were sold to Works Civil Construction.”

That company is now Downer, which has a partnership with the district council called the Whanganui Roading Alliance.

A lot of effort had been put into the Whanganui River Road over the years, Atkinson said.

When he began his career, it was only sealed to just beyond Ātene.

“We were up there after the 2015 storm event and the 2004 flood, which was probably the worst one.”

Atkinson was also at the scene when the Ngaturi bridge at Mangamahu fell into the Mangawhero River in 2006.

“We organised a crane from Emmetts [Civil Construction] to come out and try to pull some of the timber out,” he said.

“About half an hour later, we just watched it collapse. There was too much pressure on it.”

Machinery and technology had improved immensely during his time in the industry, Atkinson said.

In the days of the county council, there were three graders on the roading network.

“Now there’s only one because it’s a much, much better machine and can get around quicker.”

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe presented Robbie Atkinson with a letter of acknowledgement at his retirement function.

He said regulations had also changed since the early days.

In the 1970s, it was “steelcap boots and a vest”.

“You would be up a back-country road in the middle of the night in the pitch black and rain and you could hear the trees falling down.

“It was pretty hairy sometimes but health and safety changed that a fair bit.

“Now, you go out and put a Road Closed sign up and get back there first thing in the morning to open it up”.

Atkinson said for the most part, Whanganui ratepayers treated roading contractors well.

His main worries about the network in the future were a lack of funding and the damage caused by forestry operations.

“People ring up and say ‘My road is deteriorating, you guys aren’t doing anything’, but they sort of forget that if you live up the Kauarapaoa (Rd), for instance, you’re driving along there, on to Papaiti Rd, Somme Parade and maybe Glasgow St or Dublin St.

“All those roads have to be maintained too. Their rates contribute to the whole network and they drive on a lot of the network.”

Atkinson’s nephew, Brendon Walker, is the Whanganui Alliance manager.

“He has progressed through the company. When I became resource manager, he took on the operations manager role,” he said.

“I’ve got another nephew who is foreman of the stabilising crew and his father - my brother-in-law - is a patrolman around town.

“He does all the signs and that type of stuff.”

Atkinson said he enjoyed the work and never hated getting up in the morning to do it.

“My wife says I’ve been lucky to enjoy my job for my entire working life.

“I’m going to miss the guys and passing on knowledge to the younger ones coming through - helping to train them.”

Retirement meant more time to do “one or two jobs a day” around his property.

“The jobs are going to have to go on a calendar, otherwise you tend to muck around a bit,” Atkinson said.

“I’ve got a couple of old cars as well. The one I‘m working on at the moment is a 1957 Buick.”

Atkinson’s grandson will be visiting for a fortnight over the school holidays.

“His drain digging is getting better and I’ve taught him how to mix concrete.

“One thing I’ve always tried to pass on to people is to do a nice, tidy job, not a half-pie job.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.