As we continue to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of Gibbons this year, we thought it would be good to share some of the stories and history that has brought the business to where it is today. Here is a bit about our founder and the first generation, from the 1920s to the 1960’s. 

One of a family of five sons, Clifford ‘Bill’ Gibbons soon eschewed his family’s plans for him to become a tailor and started an apprenticeship as a bricklayer. Working for Robertson Builders, Bill worked on well-known Nelson buildings including the Anchor Foundry and the Nelson Cathedral. He also helped to repair earthquake-damaged chimneys following the 1929 Murchison Earthquake, before deciding to strike out on his own.  

By the late 1920s work was becoming scarce but with tobacco promoted as the crop of the future, Bill focused on winning a contract for building the kilns the new industry required. The only problem was that he had never built one before.  

Loading his tools on his bicycle, he cycled from Nelson to Dovedale where he convinced a farmer to let him build his kiln for free in return for lodgings overnight. The experience allowed him to successfully tender for the E. Buxton & Co construction project of 50 new kilns, securing not only the building work, but his future. 

From there, the anecdotal stories of Bill’s working years flow readily. Cycling around with his tools until he bought his first truck and sleeping in a wheelbarrow at the end of the day, Bill’s ‘can do’ attitude was only ever headed in one direction – forward.  

Through the 1930s and ‘40s, Bill built up his contracting business through hard work, enduring relationships and expanding his operations to offer the majority of the trades necessary for a build. In 1950, he officially registered C Gibbons (Contractor) Limited; the first of many entities to be set up as the umbrella company expanded its business activities into clay drainage pipes, aggregate supply, transit mix concrete, forestry, quarrying, and transport. 

As the post-World War II building boom played out, the increased use of concrete in the building industry was to Gibbons’ advantage. This, along with the company’s all trades approach, led to it winning game-changing contracts such as Nelson Hospital’s George Manson block, tiling of the Lyttleton Tunnel, and the Raglan Cement Silos.  

Through the 1950s and ‘60s the company continued to grow, building across the region and, by 1961, employing 155 staff. With a strong family involvement in the company already, it was a natural fit for Bill’s two sons, Peter and Roger, to join him in the business as Gibbons Contracting embarked on the next stage of its journey.