It has been close to 40 years since Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt ran a concrete contracting business in Auckland, but he will soon exchange his mayoral robes for work gear and complete the driveway and path for an Invercargill charity house.
When newly elected as mayor of Waitemata in 1983, Mr Shadbolt famously got into trouble for towing a concrete mixer behind the mayoral Daimler in a Christmas parade.
But he said, like any professional concreter, he always used pre-mix concrete from a truck and never a concrete mixer - even back then.
''I only used it as a gimmick. It worked quite well,'' Mr Shadbolt said.
The house is the first to be auctioned for charity in Invercargill.
SIT has donated at cost a three-bedroom transportable home built by trades students, and many local businesses have provided ''extras''.
It will be tendered on June 25 and proceeds will go to Hospice Southland, Gore Women's Refuge, Gore, ILT Stadium Southland's rebuilding appeal, Lakes District Air Helicopter Rescue and SPCA Southland.
Mr Shadbolt said he was looking forward to the charity house job.
''I don't go to the gym or anything and concrete work is a great way to keep fit ... It's the ultimate in physical reality.''
