Boys grew up with 'sawdust in hair'

By LIBBY MIDDLEBROOK

Ken Carter and his twin brother Sir Richard share the same first memories of the forestry industry.

Sir Richard said he remembered playing in the sawdust with his brother, jumping on the trolleys and generally creating mayhem until someone screamed at them to stop.

They recalled the difficulty of removing sawdust from their hair.

"Once you've got it there you just can't get it out," Sir Richard said.

The former managing director and former chairman respectively of Carter Holt Harvey were at Auckland Museum last night to celebrate the company's 100th birthday.

Carter Holt, which owns forestry plantations and processing facilities throughout the country, is one of a few New Zealand businesses to have survived the last century.

"It's just marvellous," said Sir Richard.

"It's been tough for every generation but these things just don't happen. To survive so long it's got to be pretty special."

As part of the birthday celebrations, the Carter brothers, who are grandsons of one of the company's founders, Francis Carter, were last night jointly awarded a lifetime achievement from the United States-based World Forestry Centre for their work in sustainable forestry, wood products and the community.

The centre only awards one lifetime achievement each year.

The celebrations mark 100 years since Francis Carter set up his first sawmill in Mangaweka in 1900.

The firm merged with Hawkes Bay miller Robert Holt and Sons in 1971, followed by another merger with Auckland packaging manufacturer Alex Harvey Industries in 1985 to create Carter Holt Harvey.

Today the business, whose net earnings peaked in 1996 at $453 million, employs about 10,000 at 130 sites spanning New Zealand, Australia and Asia.

Carter Holt has produced a historical book called Cutting Edge - 100 Years of Innovation, Leadership and Sheer Grit, written by Selwyn Parker.