Steel Construction Vol 40 No 3 - Mining, Industrial, Import/ Export | Page 16

SAISC FEATURE
1976) she asked, as a professional engineer
what did I do for a contractor? Without
any thought out popped the reply,“I am a
professional fire fighter, shit swallower and
contract lawyer wrapped up into one”.
That night over dinner I told Hazel about
my new job description. At 2 o’clock the
following morning I woke up worrying
about this remark and decided if that really
was what my job meant, it was time for a
change.
At 7.00am the following morning I phoned
Hennie de Clercq, who I knew very well, and
asked if he was still looking for an education
director... and the rest is history.
Spencer and the SAISC
As I said earlier I became involved in
the SAISC in 1979 during Hennie’s first
stint. After a while I became involved in
committee work for the SAISC including the
draughting of various specifications.
Amongst the early documents was
SABS1200H and its addendums, which was
the document that told us what to do to get
a good steel structure. The chairman of that
committee was Don Walker.
I was also involved with the new categories
of site erectors payment scales (developing
the concept of slinger and catcher amongst
others).
During the 1990’s I was Chairman of the
board for 2 years and also Chairman of the
finance committee, which role I did for
longer than I care to remember.
So in 2000 when Kurt Horngren left,
between the then Chairman, Kobus de
Beer and myself as Chairman of the finance
committee, we were appointed part of the
team to find a new Executive Director.
Hennie de Clercq applied for the job and was
duly appointed.
After Roy Mackenzie, John Duncan and
Paolo Trinchero left the SAISC, Hennie was
looking for replacements. Gary Drummond
of EDM was appointed to find suitable
candidates. Gary kept calling me to know if
I had suggestions, or didn’t I want the job... I
guess his persistence paid off and here I am.
Working for the SAISC was another complete
new lease on life. Hennie’s management style
left me to my own resources as long as we
satisfied the board’s requirements.
It has been so different from contracting, but
it was great to bring those contracting skills
14 Steel Construction Vol. 40 No. 3 2016

with me and develop ways and means of
passing them on to the rest of the industry.
It has been so rewarding developing the
various courses that I did for both industry
and university. It is very satisfying to know
that I, together with Hennie earlier, then
Kobus and Paolo of late have and really do
make a difference for our industry.
There are so many perks to this job:
Meeting great lecturers in structural steel
subjects including Professors and spending
time with them.
Meeting our international colleagues as
well as fabricators from all around the
world.
Attending great conferences and
exhibitions.
Being paid to read and keep up with
technology developments.
The opportunity that steel awards judging
presents to visit all those fabulous steel
jobs, coming away knowing you have been
exposed to something very special.
What are some of the highlights of my
sojourn at the Institute?
• Steel awards which I convened for 14
years, and watching it grow in stature and
status. Writing the script for the voice over
for the videos, managing camera men,
being involved in the video production
and writing numerous articles.
• Working with sister institutes both locally
and internationally including the SAIW and
HDGASA.
• Playing the role of Financial Director,
Company Secretary.
• Being able to answer and advise on many
hundreds of technical and commercial
queries,
• Developing the costing and estimating
course, the workshop supervisor’s course,
the assembler’s course, basics of steel
course, development of the SAISC site
safety program and associated courses for
fabricators and engineers, QA courses for
engineers amongst others.
• Developing with Hennie a new retail steel
price index E Ex for SEIFSA
• Running courses at university, seeing the
spark of recognition on the student’s faces,
being appreciated by way of good scores
in the tests I set, including only one person
who achieved 100%.
• Lecturing practising engineers on new
technological and safety issues.
• Code and specification writing.
• Part editing of Steel Construction and

writing of articles.
• Becoming a bit of a specialist on the new
898 and 14399 bolt specifications for
pre-loaded bolt assemblies and dealing
with numerous issues, queries and writing
articles on the subject.
• Dealing with hundreds of technical and
contractual queries that crossed my desk
over the years.
Perhaps the most challenging project that
certainly took the longest to sort out was
a decision taken by the SAISC board at a
meeting when I was not present which
simply stated said “Train steel detailing
draughtsmen”.
Little did I realise that to do it correctly
meant dealing with CETA (Construction
Seta) a process that took years for us to
get the DSE/ SAISC school of draughting
registered, get the qualification registered on
the SAQA list which meant geting objections
(by ECSA) removed, get a syllabus written
in the detail CETA wanted it (at a cost of
R2,000,000.00 half of which was funded by
CETA) and and and.
I realised that all my training as an engineer
in construction who was paid to make things
happen was to no avail when dealing with
organisation like CETA.
My favourite expression ie why do you bang
your head against the wall?... because it is a
lovely feeling when you stop, applied totally
in this case.Thank goodness, never again!
The SAISC school draughting as it now
known, is I am proud to say producing
excellent graduates many of whom have
already made their mark in the industry all be
it at a great financial cost to the SAISC.
A final word
My philosophy in dealing with customers
and suppliers has been to build a relationship
based totally on honesty and openness and I
truly believe it worked.
Thanks to all of you our readers, members
and supporters, I am truly grateful to each
and every one for the respect and friendly
manner I have been treated to during my stay
at the Institute. I am truly grateful for having
had the opportunity to put something back
into this great industry which has provided
me with so much fun, so many challenges
and such job satisfaction.
This is definitely not a final good bye, I
believe that I will be helping the Institute
with running of some of the courses in the
future.