J. C. Mowat & Sons - Contractors.

Mowat & Sons, contractors were located in GlenRoss Street which is off Brockville Road. Being a large family business they had a good number of vehicles, some of these are shown below. At the time of this photograph Glenross Street was just a short street but was later lengthened to join into Brockville Road further up the hill. See Brockville Road photographs supplied by Ken Mowat.

The following kindly supplied by Ken Mowat of Mosgiel
J. C. Mowat & Sons was a family firm of contractors which was founded in 1919 by John (Jack) Calder Mowat, the second son of James and Jane Mowat.

Jack attended Wakari and Kaikorai primary schools with his eight brothers and sister. During the First World War, Jack worked on the Dunedin wharf and at Speights brewery. He married Madeline Beazley, daughter of Speights' head maltster Charles Beazley. They raised a family of eight children, Cyril, Blanche, Violet, Douglas, Neville, Ken, Joyce and Jack.

Jack senior started delivering wood and coal by horse and cart in Dunedin, and after gradually building up a fleet of motor trucks, undertook road construction on the main roads north and south of Dunedin. The firm expanded into earthworks, acquiring bulldozers, loaders, graders, cranes and transporters. Some of their major projects were the construction of the Taieri flood-free highway, the foreshore reclamation in Dunedin, irrigation projects in Canterbury and aerodrome runway construction during the Second World War. In addition to routine house and building removals and heavy haulage, the firm also worked on the hydro schemes at Roxburgh, Tekapo, Waitaki, Pukaki and Benmore; the Timaru sewerage outfall; the Green Island motorway; the shifting of transformers to the Wakari electricity substation; and transporting the Moana to Frankton.

Before its closure in 1984, Mowat's worked for many local bodies, from the Dunedin City Council and the Taieri County and Borough to the Maniototo County Council. Jack's sons all joined the firm, while Madeline handled the office administration until she retired, aged 84.

Jack was a founder member and president of the Master Carriers Association. He was also a rugby player and president of the Kaikorai Football Club.
Restored trucks
Neville & Ken Mowat with some restored early trucks of J.C.Mowat & Sons.
Left to right are an International, a Leyland and a Ford Model T.
Photograph (K181) kindly supplied by Ken Mowat.