Not everyone who serves Whaingaroa lives here. This month we shine a light on the much adored Sonny Tavake.
Our ex-military, community focussed bus driver prepared his next career stage as he knew his ageing body wouldn’t be able to do hard labour forever. He achieved his passenger license before heeding the call to consider bus driving.
Sonny can you describe this process of career change, how did we become lucky enough to get you as a bus driver!? How did this happen?
I was doing a night shift on a job in Hamilton and it was getting over the top physical-wise, so I decided to step into the driver role sooner rather than later. I saw the job in the Hamilton press.
I learnt the job.
Q: How many years have you been a bus driver on the Raglan route?
I ended up doing this route around 5 years ago.
Q: Have you had any memorable journeys?
When the newbies start school I have the opportunity to transport them from intermediate to college – they always say to me, Hey Sonny hey! And they acknowledged me. It has built trust and respect. I have taken the time to learn every child’s name, and this is the trust and respect that I have believed in.
The old thing of ditching the label of being ‘just a bus driver’. It’s a community and I’ve watched some of them grow up through the whole school process.
Q: What’s the best thing about being a bus driver?
I love to serve the community, chat if they want to, not chat if they don’t want to, and build connections.
Q: Did you ever use the bus?
No I have never been a bus user! The reason why I got my passenger license was because I knew I wouldn’t be able to do hard labour forever. I am an ex-military man. Getting the passenger license was a precursor to knowing I wasn’t going to stay young forever and that I could change direction. Choose to do a job that would be less harsh on the body.
Q: In your opinion what do buses bring to the community?
I know there are a lot of people coming from Raglan to Hamilton. The buses give the community the opportunity for people to come out of Raglan and connect with the Waikato community; Ngaruawahia, Whatawhata, Huntly, Hamilton, Paeroa, Te Awamutu and the wider Waikato.
You have to get out there and get a feel for what’s out there and whether experiences are good or bad. Your bus can then get you back to home-base and re-group and then the next day go back out there and have a different approach.
Q: In the eyes of a bus driver: who uses the bus?
It’s a combination and a mixture; when we start to switch from winter to spring, then from spring to summer – that’s when I notice the Raglan bus is busy with tourists coming in.
They get into Hamilton and say, “I need to go to Raglan”.
Q: Do you think more regular buses would be used if we had them?
It would be feasible for the summer use to have a more regular bus because I notice it’s much busier in the summer.
Q: What is the strangest thing a passenger has brought on the bus?
The Raglan route passengers are pretty good, we only have the normal stuff, bicycles, surf boards, they are pretty good Raglan users. It’s normal; I haven’t had any weird pets or anything.
There was this one time I was finished with the night bus and one of the colleges in Hamilton was having a ball and the kids were all dressed up in ball outfits walking across the bridge. They called out, “BROOOO!!” And I let them jump in, and they took a selfie, and this is one of those moments that none of us will forget!
Q: How many more years do you see yourself driving for?
The contracts are coming up and this will play a part on who wins tenders and contracts. I’m not 100% sure whether we will stay. But I want to know I’ve left my mark on the Raglan community and the community knows that I took the time to serve.
Thanks so much Sonny for being such an inspiring man, a truly adored member of the community – even though you don’t live here!
If you want to know more about Sonny, his New Zealand Bravery Medal and his recent representation for New Zealand at the Invictus Games in Canada go read more about him here:
If you want to join our public forums for Better Buses then keep an eye out for notices on the Raglan Noticeboard Facebook group, here in the paper and on Raglan Community Media radio and pages.
A working group is campaigning for secured, and improved bus services for Raglan.
A petition for support of increased service is online, search for change.org and look for Raglan, and a paper version to sign is at IHub.
