Invercargill Archives

Overview Leaving school as soon as he was able, Allie began his builders apprenticeship with the same Dunedin firm, McLellan Construction that employed his father. It was a move which saw Allie forge a long-term career in the building trade that led to his overseeing some major projects in the Te Anau Basin in the early 1970s, including a complete redevelopment of the fire-damaged Te Anau Hotel and an early version of eco-tourism design at Takaro Lodge on the edge of the Fiordland National Park. This...

Overview The Roberts family connections with Te Anau span almost one hundred years as it was Tom's grandfather, Captain Thomas Roberts, who first laid roots in what was a remote settlement in 1906. As skipper for the government steamer, Tawera, there is already printed documentation about Captain Roberts and his years spent in Te Anau. This interview, therefore only touches lightly on Tom's ancestors. The focus is more on the achievements made by Tom and his brother, Ted Roberts, in the local building...