Hokitika roadworkers 1971.

About this image

DescriptionHokitika roadworkers 1971.

National Library AW-0259PhotographerAns WestraDate of Photo1971Map^[1]ContributorMaye Dunn

Shown in this image

Location (city or town)HokitikaEventHokitika roadworkers 1971.

Category Information

Category TagPeople

From Facebook

Date Created5th November 2019CommentsPaddy N Belinda Blanchfield: No hiviz how did they manage to stay alive.

Christine Stewart: people didn't drive like maniacs back then.

Paul Buchanan: The old "leaning on the shovel trick ah!!"

Bazza Morland MOW and not a 'glimpse' of Hi-Vis to be seen , a better era of hard graft and 'common sense ' . Just get the job done ...

Craig Marks shovel leaning method hasnt changed

Wayne Nicholson I bet that shovel was a real #2, not like the bloody teaspoons they want to use today !

Robin Coe The pose is timeless

Helen Joan Forrest Maybe no sunburn or melanoma in those days

Marty Byrne
Probably had massive issues with melanomas ….

Dave Newman
Some how they survived without high viz long pants and long sleeve shirts gloves safety glasses and hard hats and 50 boxes to tick and a chat before even getting out the truck let alone starting work.

Neil Gibbs
Dave Newman And poor buggers only lived to 103 years of age.

Wayne Nicholson
Dave Newman . So true. Worked in the industry for 55 years. The last 10 were an absolute nightmare with the long pants/ long sleeve BS. Safety glasses only when needed , same with gloves. People now just sign a piece of paper and think they are "safe" because of it.

Tony Simpson
Dave Newman Beat me to the comment Dave. Interesting replies too by Neil and Wayne.... But a whole new industry has sprung out of this health and safety thing!

Robert Skilton
Tony Simpson an expensive industry at that and costs a shit load and produces absolutely zip!!

Tony Simpson
Robert Skilton Never been a necessity for me as a teacher or an employer of IT techs in my latter working life but youm are so damned right.... The ultimate payer is the consumer I guess.

Robert Skilton
Tony Simpson

Robert Skilton
Saw a bunch of road repair guy, sic, the other day. 9.30amish n hadn't even cranked up the stop go lights. Would be away after smoko on a 2 hour drive home again. Next day I guess, rinse n repeat again. Total productive day prob 5 to 6 hours at best out of 9 or 10 hours. If not less!!

Raelene Buchanan
Dave Newman

Keren Bond
Dave Newman I'm wearing it now and filling out silly bits of paper

Dave Lyes
When Australian companies started buying into NZ road making they brought their stupid H&S crap and Pommies to enforce it all. Kiwis and government who never stood up for themselves all meekly followed along as they still do today. We all adjust to Aussie standards. Compliance costs has sent many a business crashing under unessesarily. A false sense of security and safety is all it has achieved. No one evens notices a road cone, speed reduction, or worker because the back drop to driving is all hi Viz, no one sees anything. If workers wire black they would stand out. Road construction companies are of course worried about fines in court. Hi Viz and so forth shifts the responsibility to the worker rather than resting with the company. It's all about the money honey, nothing at all with safety.

Robert Skilton
Dave Lyes ya forgot the south Africans as well

Phil Wright
Dave LyesAussies never used to be like that,but the day of the lean an mean fighting digger is long gone now..

Ronrangi McMullan
And not a single road cone in sight!

Donna Bishop
Ronrangi McMullan or orange vest!

Mal Russell
No ppe gear in sight.well done guys.wish they took the same pride in fixing our roads today

Greg Deborah Hay
They used coconut oil as sunscreen back then

OCR Text Transcription Edit Edit +-Close

Editing is temporarily disabled

Cancel Edit

Start typing here to find a location	Latitude	Longitude	Zoom	Actions

loading google map....

Save Cancel

Menu

Hokitika roadworkers 1971.

Editing is temporarily disabled