To vehicle enthusiasts in the know, the late Bill Richardson's collection of trucks and motoring memorabilia was already a ''must do'' when visiting Invercargill, even though it was accessible by appointment only. Now, his daughter Jocelyn O'Donnell is spearheading a multimillion-dollar expansion of ''Bill's Shed'' to create a world-class motoring-themed attraction. Reporter Allison Beckham found out about her plans.
Jocelyn O'Donnell knows all about blokes and vehicles.
Her great-great-grandfather, Samuel, ran a stagecoach and livery business in Southland in the 1870s.
Her great-grandfather Robert and grandfather Harold were sawmillers and builders who branched out into trucking in the 1940s.
Her father Bill expanded the family transport business into a major entity until his unexpected death 10 years ago, aged 65.
It was Bill's passion for trucks which led him to buy and restore vehicles, starting with the remains of his grandfather's 1933 International.
As the collection expanded in the 1980s, Bill got requests from people wanting to come and see it, so began the Bill Richardson Truck Museum next door to company headquarters in Inglewood Rd.
He had several rare vehicles, including the collection's centrepiece 1939 Dodge Airflow Texaco tanker - believed to be one of only three in the world - and a 1914 Stewart truck believed to be the sole survivor globally.
After his death, his family kept the museum going, opening it by appointment to anyone interested and hosting about 5000 people annually.
They also purchased more vehicles in keeping with Bill's vision, including the significant Ford collection owned by Northern Territory trucking magnate Jim Cooper, a New Zealander and good friend of Bill's.
But Mrs O'Donnell said she knew - when hosting husband and wife visitors one day - that she wanted to make the museum into something more. He was extremely interested in every vehicle but she only wanted to know how to get to the nearest supermarket.
''I knew then I wanted to create something to appeal to the women and children as well as the truckies.''
In the old museum, most of the vehicles were grouped by make and lined up in rows. In the new facility there will be themed displays regularly rotated to ensure something new for repeat visitors.
A Lego room and vehicle-themed play area should occupy the children, while for the women not interested in vehicles there will be a wearable arts display.
Mrs O'Donnell and operations manager Sally McDonald are also planning themed weekends with children's activities.
By the time the museum opens, the women will have spent more than two years behind the scenes organising the building's layout and interior fittings down to the finest detail.
There will be some very local touches.
When an HW Richardson Group company was hired to demolish Invercargill's well-known Dutch Hall, the women salvaged the kauri floor - complete with pock marks from countless stiletto heels - and some of the timber window frames.
The museum's in-house construction and maintenance team has turned the flooring into tables for the cafe, while the window frames will become display cases in the retail shop.
But, with a giggle, the women say it will probably be the toilets which will be the most unexpected.
The women's toilets will be themed, including one featuring the 1930s cartoon character Betty Boop.
The men have not been forgotten.
The wall above the urinals will be one-way glass, enabling them to look out into the vehicle display area without being seen.
To learn new skills about running a major tourist attraction, the women last year attended a motoring museum operators' conference in the United States, taking with them their design plans and a copy of Trucks: A Vintage Collection.
The coffee-table book, which Bill's family published in 2008, features the Texaco tanker on its cover.
When the other conference attendees heard about the project and looked at the book they were incredibly enthusiastic and helpful, the women said.
''It was so nice to share it with [them] and see their enthusiasm. Everyone who hears about our plans has been enthusiastic, actually,'' Miss McDonald said.
The HW Richardson Group has about 1500 staff in New Zealand and Australia, including over 700 in Southland.
The Transport World facility would become the company's ''spiritual home'', Mrs O'Donnell said.
''Invercargill is the heart of the business - where it all began. We don't want our people to forget that.''
Several conferences for company entities were booked in, Miss McDonald said.
Later, once the conference systems had been ironed out, general bookings would be accepted.
Miss McDonald declined to say how much the museum redevelopment was costing but said it was ''substantial''.
''What's the point of a collection like this if you don't share it?''
