THE FIFTIES
14
(above)
Fred Pilkington, Founder
(right)
All aboard the RMS Oronsay
heading for South Australia
(top right)
Newspaper Headlines
Thursday 7th March 1957
FRED PILKINGTON WAS SOMETHING OF A CONTRADICTION IN THAT HE HAD
FORESIGHT YET WAS SUSPICIOUS OF NEW TECHNOLOGY. A HARD-WORKING
YORKSHIREMAN AND A CIVIL ENGINEER BY PROFESSION, HE TOOK GREAT
PRIDE IN HIS OCCUPATION AS A PUBLIC WORKS CONTRACTOR.
A PROFILE OF FRED PILKINGTON
Demonstrating a clear head for business, Fred had
an impressive talent for mental agility. Such was his
speed at working out calculations in his head that
he delighted in competing against, and beating,
operators of punch calculators.
As quick as he was with mental arithmetic,
Fred was slower to warm to new ideas. It was not
that he was averse to innovation, rather that he
liked to mull things over. The move to Australia
demonstrated his ability to embrace adventure,
while the return to the UK nine months later
illustrated the more philosophical side of his nature.
Commonsense ruled the day with Fred.
Time and again Fred revealed his true character
through his ability to adapt to setbacks and react to
changing times. His willingness to listen was
another quality. While initially sceptical about
moving away from construction towards a plant
hire and service industry, he could see the sense in
his son Geoffrey’s business proposals. Both men
had insight and, thanks to their foresight, the family
firm not only survived but flourished.
