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In 1984, Kirsten & Tulleken Transport officially started delivering quality stone and sand to contractors and builders in the Southern Cape and surrounds.
An integral cog in this well-oiled machine is Kingswood resident John Tulleken, who here shares some business history and his reasons for feeling ‘blessed’
The BUZZard: Where did you grow up and matriculate, and what did you do after school – leading to your current career?
John Tulleken: Born and raised in George, we lived in Blanco and I matriculated at Outeniqua High. I then did a service year at SCAS (Sport for Christ Action SA) – or that was the plan, but I ended up staying for three years. It was an awesome time of my life, ministering through sport while coaching youngsters. One day, while I was still deciding what I wanted to do with my life and what I wanted to study, my dad called and said there was a bit of trouble at one of the businesses we owned at the time, asking if I’d be willing to come work there for a while. From then on, I just stayed in the business and ended up working with my dad; we’ve been in it together since 2008.
The BUZZard: You’ve been operating on the Garden Route for four decades … how did it start, and where does the ‘Kirsten’ originate from?
John Tulleken: Yes, we’ve been going for 42 years, when Dad first founded it. His father had a truck, which he used to deliver sand and stone and whatever needed to be delivered. When he couldn’t do it any longer, Dad started helping him out – it grew from there. When it comes to the name Kirsten: Dad established his business in the late 80s … but then everything went quiet. Steven Kirsten had more or less the same business, so the two decided to merge and consolidate expenses. They ran that for about 12 years, but by 1998 Dad decided he wanted to buy out his partner – perfect timing, as Steven needed capital for other business ventures. So since ’98 it’s been a family business, but we decided to keep the name in recognition of Steven Kirsten’s valuable contribution.
The BUZZard: What’s your connection with George?
John Tulleken: Having grown up here, I still love living in this beautiful town. It’s a place that makes it easy for us to raise our children and support them in whatever they do. Growing up in George and going to school here is a true blessing.
The BUZZard: When did you move to Kingswood, and what drew you to the estate?
John Tulleken: We moved to Kingswood Golf Estate late in 2010. My father-in-law bought his first plot at the Oval in 2007. He built a house and lived there with my mother-in-law until they decided it was time to move on. They built another house and when they moved in, we asked if we could rent the first house from them So we’ve been Kingswood residents for over 15 years. We started building spec houses in 2016 and own a few properties here now. It’s by far the best estate in town – not just because of its beautiful golf course, but because it’s an awesome place to live.
The BUZZard: Please tell us more about your family – it sounds like Ilze does interesting stuff in the arts.
John Tulleken: My wife is very much the extrovert, the people person; I’m the introvert and like my alone time – I get uncomfortable in crowds, so we complement each other well.
We have three kids: two boys aged 16 and 14 … and then Jesus decided to bless us with a little girl. He had a different plan for us, but she’s such a blessing. All of us love living on the estate, and we try doing things together whenever time allows.
We make sure the little one is around to support her brothers when they have activities or sport. We love camping together as a family, and Ilze is deeply involved in her theatre and drama work. My wife is an amazing writer, which is not something many people are aware of. When not being a mom, she spends her time with the Arts Theatre crowd. She loves dance – ballet in particular – and drama.
Procrastination is the worst thing about writing, but hopefully we can get her to be more proactive along that part of her arts and drama journey.
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The BUZZard: What’s your favourite pastime outside of work?
John Tulleken: I love drinking wine with my friends and started a wine-tasting group – we meet once a month, just a few guys getting together at my house, sampling a few bottles of wine. This evolved into a ministry club, where the guys talk positive vibes into each other’s lives, and listen to struggles experienced.
When it comes to hobbies, I play the guitar and sing a little. Jonathan, our eldest, plays electric guitar and keyboards, while Lukas is learning to play the sax – he’s not bad at all. So we spend as much time as possible making music.
Work hasn’t allowed for us to camp as frequently this year, apart from one weeklong camping trip to Kruger. But family time is extremely important to us. Every Sunday is family day, when we visit my parents on their farm outside of town. It allows the three generations to chat and catch up with my parents for a whole afternoon.
