Obituary

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31075, 2 June 1966, Page 14

Obituary

MR L. E. LAUGESEN The death occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday evening of Mr Louis Emil Laugesen, a pioneer in the road passenger transport industry in the South Island. He was one of the founders of Midland Motorways Services, Ltd. He was 95. Born in Sorie, Denmark, in 1870, Mr Laugesen came to New Zealand at the age of

two with his parents who settled first at Woodend and later at Oxford where he went to school. From Oxford Mr Laugesen moved to Kaikoura and in 1903 he started one of. the first general stores in Cheviot, as well as one of the first garages.

In 1914 he held the mail contract between the then rail-head at Parnassus and Kaikoura. It was the first time the mail had been carried by car. Mr Laugesen also owned the first private hire car in Cheviot and ran regular trips to Addington market from the district.

Four years later he sold the store and garage and after a few years farming on the West Coast he returned to Canterbury to begin the first regular bus service between Darfield and Christchurch.

In 1929, in partnership with his eldest son, Mr L. K. Laugesen, the present managing director of Midland Motorways, Mr Laugesen bought the Methven to Christchurch service and in 1931 a contract was signed with the Minister of Railways to take over the Railway Road Services in the Midland area. These were the. beginnings of the present Midland company. In 1929 Mr Laugesen with his two younger sons founded the firm of Motorways Ltd., which has service stations at Hornby, Sockburn, and Channeys. A few years later the firm established a tyre retreading factory at Hornby. This factory was later moved to Sockburn where it is now the headquarters of the Dominion’s largest tyre retreading company, having factories in all the main centres.

Mr Laugesen is survived by three sons and a daughter. His wife died seven years ago.