Michael Gatenby

Michael ‘Mick’ Gatenby was born in Motueka, New Zealand, into a family of five siblings. As the middle child, he faced tough times ahead. Both of his parents worked hard on the orchard farm, which also included a trucking company that delivered the fruit. Mick quickly developed a passion for driving, helping out as much as he could and officially obtaining his licence at the age of 15. Working for his parents, Mick soon had the flow of diesel in his blood – both on the road and in the air, as he acquired his student pilot license as well. However, he ultimately settled on the road.

In 1986 Mick spread his wings and left home, moving to Sydney, Australia, where he picked up various driving jobs. He gladly drove a truck for Mayne Nickless Transport at St Peters, delivering general freight. While driving a Mack R600 loaded with war supplies to Tunderlong and back, he decided he wanted to see more of Australia. Off he went to Western Australia driving and supplying materials for the railway up the Northwest. Life was dry and hard but he loved it. Once that job finished, Mick was off to Darwin. He decided to drive a B-Model Mack (triples) across to Townsville. His most vivid memory was dropping two trailers and splitting them up to get over the jump between Darwin and Katherine. Despite the long hours and days, he always made his deliveries.

In 1973 Mick started working with Bunker Freight Line, driving a Transtar 40-70 up and down the East Coast. This led to a friendship with Ron Bunker. Over time, Mick acquired shares in the company. The hard days and nights paid off, and while keeping his shares, he moved on to start Gattrans. After some time, he had 36 trucks in his fleet, comprised of Atkinson trucks and trailers – an achievement he was very proud of.

In 1979 Mick met his future wife, Judith. Not long after, they had a son, James and a few years later, a daughter, Robyn. As the years passed both children followed in their father’s footsteps by becoming involved in the transport industry as they are both senior leaders at Qube.