Riding Through Life

Born during the hardships of the 1930s Depression, Neville Wooderson belonged to a generation shaped by resilience, discipline, and action. From working in milking sheds as a boy to racing at the legendary Isle of Man in 1953, he pursued his love of motorcycles with grit and precision.

But racing was only part of the story.

A respected craftsman plumber by trade, Neville carried his skills far beyond New Zealand. In Nepal, working alongside Sir Edmund Hillary, he helped build schools and hospitals in remote Himalayan communities. Later in life, he sponsored two talented riders, Dobsy and Chris Swallow, with a challenge and a dream: to be the first single-cylinder BSA to achieve a 100-mph lap on the Isle of Man.

He built a life, a family, and carried responsibilities that were not always simple. Like many of his generation, some chapters were spoken of plainly, others were carried more privately.

He never let a challenge beat him. His determination was boundless. When something needed doing, he did it.

Drawn from his own diaries and recollections, Riding Through Life is the story of a man who believed a life is defined by what you contribute, not what you claim.

He did not seek legacy. He built it.