motor industry

Blog 09 May ------- Motor Industry
The Motor Industry and me -a short memoir
I have started again to read the aoutobiography, 'Spy Catcher' by Peter Wright and published in Australia by William Heinemann in 1987. It opens with something like 'It all began in 1949, on a spring day that reminds us of winter'
Goodnes me, hang on a bit, now fourteen years old on to 1935 and its 1949 again and the year of my first association and real interest in the Motor Industry. It was announced at schoolassembly, that a visit to the Austin Motor Company, was coming up. - Thats me I said Im going – no you are not Mason said the Principal,there will be lot of walking and you Mason would not be able to keep up, having had polio at eleven – Rubbish I insisted.
The 'Pricipal' one Mr Duckworth, had the last say and my threats of his extinction was ignored – you see, he was a cricketer, was it him or his brother who played for Worcestershire. Anyway a fello girl prefect talked me out of hitting him with his cricket bat – I'm forever greatful to her for so doing.
On with life at 15, I decided that Mechanical Engineering was me, so onto a one year pre-apprenticship course, OK but more please, four years to the Higher National Diploma and later a Degree by association of further academic studies to come. Ah, ah The Austin Motor Company at Longbridge just south of Birmingham UK came into view again, nothing will stop me now, so off to see the training manager. At first he did'nt know how he could help, but with a little prompting he came up with a Graduate training program, goodness Engineering; Production or Commercial.
Two years long, where I became representative of 'Overseas Trainees',most of them sons of distributors and so a network of International associates began a true worldwide club if you like and I am sure was replicated in most western Motor companies. Time was spent in Design, Development, Sales and numerous training courses all fasintating to me at twenty years of age. The interesting one was the ,Research Department' at the time worki ng on a Gas Turbine – Centrifugal compressor tied to the turbine with impossibly small blades , which I was sure I could do better, bugger off Mason , still I must have struck a cord somewhere and they had a rethink, I was not included of course. The engine did run in the end in a Austin Sheerline at a Austin open day.
There were of course other sections, like a cold room, overspeed room, gear development and general engine reseach in cluding rotary. Looking at other manufacturs products power trains and complete vehicles. In the engine section we had a ferrari four cylinder and others , but most significant in these early sixties was a Chrysler V8, a beutifully engineered and built plus easy to assemble to bout. Fuel consumption was enormous to us, however the specific fuel consumption figures were good (non dimentional) .This was my first encounter with excelent American engineering and not to be my last.
It was at this moment that the telephone rang and you know good people, occasionaly you just know it call is not going to be good news. It was Samantha our daughter ' Daddy' and then a pause, I have bad news-- Grandad immediately thinks of grandchildren and family members in an accident or something. Samantha then said Anthony is dead , followed by the always difficult explanation of the tradegy. Anthony had gone over a sea cliff near his home at Copocabana a small seaside town not far north of Sydney.
The matter was then put into the hands of the local coroner, who has still not produced a report, however Anthonies remains were released and the funeral set for Friday 26 June at a memorial gardens near where he had lived. Caravan quickly commissioned out of its winter position and Patricia and I were off to a family gathering and meeting of most of his freinds- he had three sisters and six brothers. It was to be the kind of gathering Anthony had been trying to achieve for years , as he was the link man in life, the family member who visited all in turn , over the years.
Always a bit of a mistery when people go off a cliff, this one some ninety metres high by a chap veryfamiliar with the bush ; heights and dangerous places like bush fires. Anthony was an employee of the state Parks and Wildelife Service, a fully licienced civil machine operator and trained Fire Fighter of a kind that jumps out of helicopters near a fire in the middle of nowhere ,a brave lot who know what they are doing, for which the public are ever thankful.
Being forthright person of course has its dangers and I gather he on acasion did not agree with senior management on the level of work effort and prcedures in the workplace and was subjected to harrasement by trying to get him to resign. Being the shiney boot brigade they enacted the procedure of wearing him down to the point of difficulty in dealing with it all and volunteered to a phycriatric assessment ,which was ongoing ,when parting company with a clifftop occurred. I had for some time said to him that he would be better placed in forestry where they get their boots dirty, full time, and put in a full days work for a full days pay,,clearing plus hassard reduction plus logging with contracters . An inviroment work ethic in the forestry industry and not one of meeting, note pads and inaction on important matters like hassard reduct by clearing and backburning.
Just look what happened in the State of Victoria where because of the neglegence of the Victorian Parks and Wildlife Service in carring out hasard burning, on that Saturday the seventh in February, Properties burned, People burned and died including firefighters and the very enviroment they are supposed to protect burned animals and fuana. Now we have a commission looking at the dissaster, with not a mention of the failings if the department or their Government Dept for the enviroment.
This was Anthonies fight ,ending in a fall from a cliff near his home. What drugs was he given by the hospital , apparanty an anti depressant plus an anti smoking precription, I have yet to check
this. We all said goodbye at the service and Patricia wrote and spoke ' How do you say fare well to a friend'
How do you say fare well to a friend, a man who was caring and loving, who thought about other people, loved what he did working with nature. A physical and spiritual man, one you could respect admire, for he did things from the heart. In my book thats the way to live.
His life has been cut short,I am sad about that, for he was loved and I feel sad that I did not say it. So please say what is in your heart, What you feel. Fare well Anthony.Hope you find peace and happiness whereever you are. Love from your family, Patricia etc . Amen.
Just as I was thinking about the address by Patricia at the service, the telephone rang again and again the strained voice of a lady, this time a good friend of ours. The terrible news was that their twenty somthing son had been killed in a motor accident in Perth, Western Australia . Ann and Jarda were of course devastated and because we were attending Anthonies funeral we did not know 0f the rememberance service for Robert this side of the Country.
Goodness me,I do hope my next edition can be more cheerful, .Ah the motor industry and me , thats it . See you next time. Malcolm E Mason.