NEWS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
In memory of Bob Gulliver
By John Blundell
B
ob Gulliver (born 8 September 1939)
sadly passed away on 23 August
2017 and will be sorely missed by all
who knew him.
Bob joined the Royal Navy and did an
engineering apprenticeship, first at HMS
Fisgard and then HMS Caledonia Rosyth.
He served 12 years, sailing on many ships.
Bob came to South Africa in 1969 after
leaving the Royal Navy. He joined Hall
Thermotank in the service department,
looking after the refrigeration equipment
on the Union Castle Mail ships.
He was also responsible for the refit
of the refrigeration plant on the Iranian
ship Artimis.
I first met Bob when I joined Hall
Thermotank in 1982. Bob had transferred
from the service department to contracts
supervisor.
Bob was always willing to help and to
make things happen regardless of the
time of day or night. Maybe this stemmed
from Bob’s training as an engineer in the
Royal Navy and his time at sea as a chief
petty officer.
You could send Bob to site with a truck
full of equipment to be positioned ready
for piping up. On his return, there would
be a long story of all the problems he
had encountered. When asked, “Is the
equipment positioned?” the answer was
always, “Of course.” Bob wanted you to
know he had overcome all the obstacles.
When APV (as the company was
known) closed its doors on refrigeration
in 1995, Bob bought a small machine
workshop. He put two of his sons through
an apprenticeship as fitters and turners.
They now run a very efficient business,
Gulliver Engineering, and continue to
train apprentices.
All this was made possible through
Bob’s foresight, greatly supported by his
wife Barbara who kept a very close eye
on the books.
If you met Bob for the first time, he may
well have greeted you with, “Hallo, my
Gru.” It was many years later that I found
out that ‘gru’ stood for ‘gruesome’! There
was no malaise, always willing to help no
matter what or when.
My wife Jayne and I had some great
holidays with Bob and Barbara, sailing
to many parts of the world on different
cruise ships.
Bob, you are going to be sadly missed
by all those who knew you, and I can
hear you say:
I’d like the memory of me to be a
happy one.
I’d like to leave an afterglow of smiles
when life is done.
I’d like to leave an echo whispering softly
down the ways,
of happy times and laughing times and
bright and sunny days.
I’d like the tears of those who grieve, to dry
before the sun
of happy memories that I leave when life
is done.
Our thoughts are with Barbara and
family. Rest in peace, my friend.
John Blundell
FROM THE EDITOR …
Bob Gulliver, 8 September 1939 –
23 August 2017. (Photo taken in December 1994.)
Besides his caring
for his family and
friends, Bob was
passionate about the
training of hands-on
skills and sharing his
wealth of experience in
practical refrigeration.
Bob was big in stature and had a
big and caring heart — this was very
evident by the mood among the
many that attended his memorial
service. The service was a warm
celebration of Bob’s legacy.
The verses quoted by John
Blundell are the epitome of the man.
Besides his caring for his family and
friends, Bob was passionate about
the training of hands-on skills and
sharing his wealth of experience
in practical refrigeration. Bob was
also accredited by merSETA for the
apprenticeship training of millwrights,
fitters, and turners. His training was
thorough and produced worthy and
highly competent artisans.
Although he often gave the
impression that he was not too
interested in the social side of the
industry, he was always keen to
know the latest of who’s who in
the industry. Those who ever
worked alongside Bob had the
highest regard for his expertise
and his nature.
My sympathy to his soulmate,
Barbara, and their large family. May
you all be comforted in knowing that
Bob Gulliver left the world a better
place because of his caring for
others and his passion for whatever
he tackled.
John Ackermann CLA
COLD LINK AFRICA • November | December 2017
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
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