Keith Waterhouse: Parts Manager 52 Years of Service

Keith is one of the many people who turn the wheels of our agricultural industry everyday and he has done for a long time. From his story you learn how as a young man he has remained in one region building his skills and in doing so became a highly sought after Agricultural Machinery Specialist. Keith has only given us a glimpse into his past on these pages and I’m sure if he ever wrote his memoirs it would be crammed full of anecdotes and humorous stories telling the history of farmers and farming in Victoria’s Gippsland region.

As a veteran of fifty two years in spare parts Keith Waterhouse is a Legend of Australia’s Ag Machinery Industry and one whose life we celebrate here.

You can find Keith's Story on our Their Story page just click on the link: http://machinerymen.blogspot.com.au/p/their-stories.html

Ag Machinery Digest Interview Questions

Thanks for taking the time to participate in this interview. I intend to produce an anthology of stories from tractor and machinery men and women across Australia. At the same time I will regenerate the AgList website and accommodate your story there too.

Please feel free to expand or contract the elements of your answers to tell your story. I appreciate the effort it will take to answer but believe that unless we begin to record the important human side of our industry this history will be lost. I am trying to address this.

Each question is set in a table, start typing under the question, remembering to save the document before returning via e-mail to: probertconsulting@bigpond.com

Thanks again,

Terry L Probert

Questionaire ...................................................................................................................................

Name: ....................

How did you get started in the machinery game? Answer:

And what was the first role, and for who? Answer:

Tell me a bit about it, anything interesting happen Answer:

Did you have a career plan or did it just evolve? Answer:

Worst day at work, can you tell me what happened and when? Answer:

And to balance things the best day at work, can you tell me what happened and when? Answer:

Was this your first career choice? Answer:

If not what happened? Answer:

How many different jobs have you held during your career? Answer:

Describe your best job ever, be careful if it’s not the one you hold now. Answer:

Tell us about any favourite times or parts of your career? Answer:

What was the best product or service you ever owned, sold, or worked on? Answer:

What is the most important innovation you’ve seen? Answer:

So how far did you go in school, and did you do any study after leaving? Answer:

What do like most about your work today? Answer:

What is that you are doing today, and who do you work for? Answer:

Can you remember your first pay packet, tell us how you felt when you held it in your hands and can you tell us how much it was? Answer:

Can you tell us what you see any challenges the industry will face over the next few years? Answer:

And is there any advice you can give to anyone considering a similar career? Answer:

Australia's Machinery Men Digest

This will be an anthology of stories about the men and women who have worked in the tractor and machinery business and those who have used or collect machines. Australia has a rich history of world leading innovation that is well documented but in this book I want to focus on the people who took advantage of these breakthroughs. Time has a way of sneaking up on many of our pioneers and before they can chronicle their history it is lost. I would like to think this book may slow the number of these stories disappearing.

If you would like to participate, please send an e-mail to probertconsulting@bigpond.com and put Machinery Men Digest in the subject line. and we will be in touch as soon as we can. For those people on our mailing list, we have completed a series of questions to begin the collating and editing process. I will be sending these out next week.

I propose to have the first volume ready by November 2013.

Terry L Probert
Probert Consulting
Melton    3337
Victoria

And so it begins

Over the next few weeks I hope to post interviews with people from the Agricultural and Farming Industry which will form the basis of an Anthology I will publish by the end of next year.

Please feel free to drop past to read the interviews and if you wish to participate send me a message and I will get in touch.