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10 Headlines B ill Miller was born in Dunedin in 1888 and left school at the age of 13 to board a ship to Sydney. What he did for a living there is not known, but he came back to New Zealand seven years later with £5,000 in his pocket. At that stage Bill was intent on taking part in the “flying fever” that gripped the world after Louis Bleriot crossed the English Channel. He bought a half share in the Howard-Wright biplane, took it to Avondale Racecourse, and joined forces with Frederick Sandford to modify the aircraft. He reduced the weight to give it ‘swept-back’ wings to improve stability. Frederick Sandford went on to make the first significant cross-country flight in New Zealand, travelling five kilometres over the Racecourse and around New Lynn. Unfortunately, this venture ended when the plane crashed in December 1913 and the partners lost their investment. Bill's enthusiasm was soon transferred to a car repair workshop he opened in Newton. He subsequently moved this business to Symonds Street and finally to Khyber Pass Road, in the heart of Auckland. This was the home of his business for 30 years and it grew into a very successful venture through his innovation and determination. He demonstrated the reliability of the motor car by travelling from Auckland to Wellington in less time than the express train. He opened one of Auckland's first vehicle recovery services and bought and sold second-hand cars and parts. He imported petrol and oil from America, transported it up the Whau Creek and stored it in a shed on Span Farm. Span Farm was an 88-acre property in Glendene, that ultimately, he converted from an overgrown swampy area of land into an exhibition farm with 2,000 pigs and a number of sheep. At its peak it employed 13 farmhands. The incredible story of Bill Miller The man behind the Miller Scholarships William Stanley Miller was an extraordinary man. He was an adventurer, inventor, and businessman. The impact his bequest has made on neurological research is monumental and will be for generations to come. Millers garage tow truck, 1920s © 1920s, Heritage Collections, Auckland Libraries, 1533-ALBUM-295-58-1