Jamie Ballantyne and his wife Stacey Jones.
Jamie Ballantyne is the regional franchisee for Aramex Wanganui.
What were you doing before becoming top dog at Aramex?
I spent 10 years coal mining in North Queensland. Before that, I was working in an IT firm. There was a little window above my monitors and the building next door was about five metres away. All I saw was a red brick wall and this other guy across from me. We would glance at each other from time to time, just bored with the view of each other’s faces.
What inspired you to take over a courier business?
Courier work is a bit like mining. It’s a simple process - you pick up a package, you transport it, and you deliver it. You just have to get people their stuff and solve problems on the fly.
Is it hard for small businesses at the moment?
Yes. People are trying to pay their mortgages and put food on the table. I don’t think they are buying as much stuff as they were, especially post-Covid-19. It’s tough out there, but we are just trying to do everything the right way - deliver a good service, be fair in the pricing, and be contactable. We’re local, and we want to do a decent job for everyone.
If you weren’t driving packages around, what would you be doing instead?
Probably coal mining. It’s good, honest work. It’s every boy’s dream to play in a big old sandbox. The size of the equipment is just unfathomable.
Will Whanganui be your forever home?
At the moment, yes, but I would never leave an opportunity unexplored or rule anything out. Whanganui is home now and will always be special to me because it’s where my wife is from. It has adopted me.
Since setting up base in Whanganui, you’ve dipped your toes into cricket with Tech Old Boys. Had any success?
Surprisingly, I’ve done all right the last two times I’ve played. The previous dozen - no good. Cricket is still a bit of an alien sport to me. The idea of having to go for longevity and not crushing a ball over a fence every time is just odd. A forward defensive shot? No idea what you’re talking about. It’s either in the bleachers or it’s not.
Favourite thing to do in Whanganui?
A bonfire at South Beach with the sun setting and the tide out. It’s a great spot.
Which event from history would you most like to have been at?
That’s a tricky one. It would have been pretty incredible to be standing on a hilltop watching the Battle of Waterloo. Watching, not partaking. Those guys were just slowly walking into each other. Organised chaos. Imagine what the world would have been like if it (British victory) had been the other way around. It’s one of the defining battles in history.
Have you got any hidden talents?
I’m really fast in a swimming pool. I managed to break a few club records when I was a kid and can still smash out a few quick laps of butterfly. I’m definitely no good at cricket, though.
What is one thing you would change about Whanganui?
I would centre the eating and hospitality in town more along the river and try to find a way to make the river run cleaner. There isn’t a hell of a lot along parts of it, so how about a beer garden down there, where you can just sit in the sun and have a pint?
Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and 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.