Since a YouTube video - titled ''South Dunedin's coolest old man'' - of a man driving down Queens Dr in St Kilda on a highly modified mobility scooter was put on the Otago Daily Times website on Friday, the newspaper had received a tip-off the man behind the wheel built Santa Parade floats for Rainbow Preschool. The video has so far been viewed more than 4000 times.
After some investigation, it became apparent the man on the scooter was St Kilda resident Warren Ockwell. He had no idea the video was online and was ''humbled'' it had received so many views.
Mr Ockwell had been building floats for Rainbow Preschool to enter in Dunedin's Santa Parade for over a decade and the scooter in the video was his latest creation for the annual event.
The scooter had a wooden shell which would soon be painted, to make it look like Postman Pat's mail van, he said.
When the video was filmed, he probably had been driving the float from his house in St Kilda to a warehouse where Santa Parade floats were stored, on Willis St, he said.
He received a lot of attention during the drive, with people stopping to take pictures on their cellphones.
He hoped to continue making floats as he enjoyed putting a smile on the faces of the preschool's children, who knew him as Poppa.
