Page 92 - It's a Rum Life Book 3 "Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984"

problem.
What endeared Michael to us was that he would undertake any task and fulfil it to his very
best ability. In the early days of ECYB Transport when we could not really afford to turn
away any delivery work offered to us that earned money, his particular talent was heaven
sent.
Then of course he was training to be a mechanic and needed an employer who would
allow his one day a week at the local Technical College.
Paul was just a step or two behind.

THE OLIVE NUTS
This was an “in between” time for ECYB, we had regular work collecting complaint tyres
for examination and we had a potato contract with John Hobster of Boston which meant
that our “Commer Maxiload” 16 ton flatbed lorry, bought second-hand from Hobster's was
out most nights with Big Albert at the wheel, travelling to wholesale vegetable markets up
and down the country.

We were looking for some more regular work and were offered the job of delivering to
farmers and smallholders in
South Wales.

Hubbard and Philips of
Sleaford had been long
established suppliers to
farmers and it was the Mr.
Hubbard who asked us to go
to Wales.

Picture of the Brecon Beacons.

There had been another crisis
in farming there, it rains a great deal in Wales and they had suffered another bad season
when very little hay had been made and even less straw had been saved after the harvest.

We began with delivering
Hay and straw to small
farms in Carmarthen. It
came to light gradually that
Mr. Hubbard was a bit of a
rogue, several of the loads
were less than good and
these deliveries made us
very uncomfortable.
It was not all bad mind, we
did deliver a great deal of
very good feed and
bedding material, it was
just that the bad ones stick

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