• During the war Alven completed a five-year mechanics apprenticeship at Schofields, Newmarket.
• In 1946 Lyle and Alven went into business together forming L.W. Bonney and Son Limited delivering milk to the East Tamaki Dairy Company and the Auckland Milk Corporation and operating the Runciman Service Station south of Auckland.
• During this time a standard day would consist of 5am local farm pickups and deliveries to Drury, East Tamaki and later Manukau Road, back to Runicman to operate the service station, before the evening milk round that started at 5pm. In those days a milk round required the manual handling of 100, 20-gallon milk cans on and off the truck.
• In 1949 Alven married Maddelanne Beaton de Malmanche – Dell. They had met while Alven was picking up milk from her family farm in Papakura. Children Calven, Leigh and Joanne then followed being born in 1951, 1956 and 1964.
• In 1953 the Family moved North from Papakura to new Papatoetoe which brought opportunities for land development and to expand the fleet into coal cartage.
• The first depot was in Butler Ave where the family also lived before purchasing part of the Grange Golf Course including the old homestead in 1957. • Selwyn, by then a sign writer, joined the business in 1954 and the business became known as L.W. Bonney and Sons Limited.
• Before developing the land into a depot fronted by family homes from 55 – 59 Great South Road Lyle and Rita, along with Alven’s family along lived in the old homestead.
• Once the development was complete Lyle and Rita’s home, number 55 doubled as the business’ depot and office.
• The depot housed a fleet of Commers, Leylands and then Mercedes Benz’ that peaked at 26 tip trucks in the 1950s carting coal from Kopuku, Huntly and Mercer to Holeproof Mills, Auckland Laundry, East Tamaki Dairy Company, Reidrubber, Auckland Milk Treatment and various market gardeners.
• The business expanded and was a large enterprise for its time carting sand, coal and aggregate – it was post war and there was a strong emphasis on building Auckland’s infrastructure. Drivers were part of the family, they stayed for the long run with many also being helped into their own businesses.
