All the 11s line up for Corben
Corben Burnett-Solly turns 11 on 11/11/11. Older brother Leighton looks on from above. Photo: Gerard Hindmarsh.
The world may now have its seven billionth person, but Takaka has a lad who turns 11 on 11/11/11.
To mark his special birthday today, Corben Burnett-Solly of Maori Road has asked his parents Ed and Karen for a bonfire in the backyard and a few of his classmates from year six at Takaka Primary around to celebrate.
“Turning 11 on 11/11/11 is sort of special I guess,” says Corben, “but in a way it’s just another birthday really.” As he is still pretty excited about the Rugby World Cup, not to mention being a keen Takaka Rugby Club junior player (he plays in the backs, usually on the wing), Corben’s big birthday wishes this year are for a few pairs of new rugby shorts, plus a large-scale model Volvo dump truck. The latter is not surprising either, Corben being a fifth-generation Solly who is already working for the family transport business.
Like his older brother, Leighton (13), Corben spends many of his after-school and weekend hours at the Solly’s Freight depot in Takaka, helping out around the busy yard and washing down trucks. Keen as mustard, both boys already see themselves as future full-time Solly’s truckies, just like their Dad (Ed Solly), granddad (Merv), great-granddad (Trevor) and great-great-granddad (Ken) before them.
It was Ferry Point (Ferntown) farmer Ken Solly who started up the family freight business on 28 February 1928, the day he purchased a brand new Chevrolet Ford lorry from WJ Dick & Co in Nelson. The chassis and engine unit was driven over the hill by mechanic Noel V Miller, who not only taught Ken how to drive it but later moved to Collingwood to establish his garage, still run by his own sons and grandsons (and their partners) there today.
Today, Takaka-based Solly’s Freight keeps around 60 trucks on the road nationwide, on weekly runs that extend the length and breadth of the South Island, even up to Auckland four times a week.
Corben is fairly sure his preference is to be a driver of stock trucks. “I don’t so much like collecting the bobby calves, but the rest of that job is pretty neat.” Ed, his dad, says he is more than happy to see any of his kids fulfil their truck driving ambitions, on the proviso that they go out and get at least a trade qualification first.
Statistically speaking, Corban probably shares his special eleventh birthday with around 70 other New Zealanders who were born over 24 hours on 11/11/00. Back then, one baby was born roughly every 20 minutes in New Zealand. Now there’s a new arrival every 14 minutes and 23 seconds, according to the Statistics NZ website.
Gerard Hindmarsh
