15
DS: I like to get stuck in and learn everything there
is to learn in any position I am in. I was then told
that I had to study for my (three year) Government
Certificate which would enable me to have a position
of responsibility on the mine, in my case, to be in
control of moving machinery.
As the course was part time, I was put under the care
of a responsible engineer for the practical side and
also studying at Veaseys College, for the theory side.
At the end of the three-year process the Government
had an examination on two subjects, Mines Law and a
technical paper on Mechanical and Electrical aspects.
CEN: By this stage, had you decided that mining was
where you wanted to be?
DS: Oh yes, but the thing was, that as I was about three
months away from writing my ticket, the mine closed
down!
CEN: Surely this certification could be pursued at
another mine?
DS: Correct, the replacement mine was Goedehoop,
but I felt as though I’d been re-trenched, so I responded
to a position in (then) Natal, for a Resident Engineer
position, who had to be GCC qualified, which I didn’t
yet have, but I responded nevertheless.
In 1982, on the proviso that he obtain his ticket within
six months, Derek succeeded in getting the job at
Hippo Quarries, Pietermaritzburg. While supervised by
a responsible engineer, (as he couldn’t practise as the
Resident engineer without the qualification) he obtained
the necessary ticket within three months. At the age of
24, Derek became the youngest Resident Engineer in
South Africa.
The five years I was there was a fantastic period in my
life, where, at 24, I had the entire quarry under my
responsibility. I had (and continue to have) a passion
for machinery, so I was in my element.
CEN: For five years you were content, so what was the
decision to leave what appears to be a challenging and
rewarding position?
DS: It was around this time that Bell Equipment was
starting to venture into the bigger machinery and they
had a little branch in Mkondeni, Pietermaritzburg. At
about the same time, I had assessed that there was
little room for promotion on the quarry – within the next
20 years at least – so in my time there, I thought, as
a backup, I should get a Factories ticket, which took
me three years. I then realised that if I
really
wanted to
move ahead, I needed to study finance, so I decided to
do a B.Compt, which is a degree where one majors in
Auditing and Accounting.
I returned to UNISA and decided to take it slowly as it was
nothing like I had ever been involved in before. I thought
‘I can do this!’ but boy, was I in for a surprise. It was a
totally different world, but I intended to take it in small
bites and complete it in four years. It ended up taking me
ten years to complete and by this time I was married, with
a family and had been offered a job to join Bell.
CEN: You were with Bell for 25 years. Tell me about your
time there?
DS: In 1987, I was living in Empangeni and offered the
job to grow Product Support for Bell. The time there was
fantastic and over the next 25 years I became totally
immersed in Bell, learning every facet of
the business, from product support to
Technical Manager; I ran the factory for
three years, and handled marketing
and managed their relationship with
Hitachi and John Deere. It was the
most amazing period of my career.
I was able to hone my skills and get
involved in everything.
During this time, Derek travelled
extensively around the world, “I was a
sponsored tourist of note” he adds,
laughing. He puts all the travel down
as an educational opportunity,
afforded to few, as he
travelled to every corner of
the globe.
I arrived at a time when the Bell seniors were still
very active in the business and the ‘Bell boys’ were
just getting into their stride and they allowed me to
do whatever I wanted, within reason.
