A chance meeting at South Port in Bluff gave Carl Kirkbeck the opportunity to have a chat with Mike Christensen, driver for Fulton Hogan, based out of Invercargill.
Mike says 20 years ago his brother asked if he wanted to join him on a road trip down south. “We made it to Invercargill, but out of money. I was 27 and had plumbing experience and through that picked up an apprenticeship. After 10 years I was looking for change.”
Mike had a passion for trucks growing up, and spent a lot of time in the cab with Frank Fielding, who drove an N series Volvo for Kings Carrying out of Ngongotahā.
“We would run dressed export timber up to Auckland and bring Foodstuffs back. At nine years of age, Frank would let me hook up the rear half of the B-train. He would set it up for me, with about three metres to go, and I would reverse it and connect it up. Yeah, real cool for a young fella.”
Breaking away from plumbing, Mike started as a driver for Wilson Concrete Pumping, before a shift to Cleanways, with a stint with South Roads. But Mike feels he has found his calling with an opportunity at Fulton Hogan.
“I love the challenge of the job I have. My permanent drive is a Fuso tipper and four axle transporter, taking machinery to site. In the dry season we are flat out, but winter slows down, so helping out with fertiliser boats is a welcome bonus.”
Family life is busy, with a 15-year-old son, six-year-old daughter, and five-year-old twins, a boy and a girl. “Our teenage son is at a great stage in life, I give him a tune-up when he uses my tools in the workshop and does not clear up after himself, but it’s awesome to spend time with him and see him growing up.”
Mike says life has its challenges, but he enjoys taking the family up to Lake Monowai, or out for a cruise on his Harley Davidson. “A couple of weeks back I took young Carter, one of the twins, for a short ride. He has autism as well as ADHD, so he’s always bouncing. I popped him on the bike and he started absolutely chirping. He was still chirping when we got back,” Mike said with a laugh.
Mike’s vexing question involved hot food on a cold day; what would you rather dig into, a hot steak cooked to perfection, or a good feed of fresh snapper? For Mike it was easy, “Definitely snapper, I love fish, and fishing. In fact a bigger boat is on the cards so the whole family can go fishing.”
