FM Conway - Going the Extra Mile

Chapter 3 A New Start

Of course that couldn’t happen now; all the machines turn off automatically. But, in those days, you had to keep your wits about you – and have luck on your side.

Bill was a true survivor. There was an occasion when he had a Bomag roller ride right over him. It was on a job in Rochester. He had let go of the roller to pick something off the ground, and the roller was still moving. As he bent down, the scraper bar caught the bottom of his overalls and forced him to the ground. But fortunately the roller had two sets of controls, one of them on the side. So, as the roller reached his waist, he was able to reach up and knock the lever back the other way to reverse it off him. The sub-base he had been rolling was soft sand, so he got up with nothing worse than bruising all over him. And he turned up to work the following morning to pick the men up for work. Of course that couldn’t happen now; all the machines turn off automatically. But, in those days, you had to keep your wits about you – and have luck on your side. Towards the end of the 1980s, business was booming, and our turnover was now in excess of £7 million. In order to run the business in Sutton, I had bought ten new lorries. It was a big investment, and my father – who had now officially retired but still liked to work on a project or two – clearly disapproved. ‘I would never think of doing a thing like that,’ he said to Sean, shaking his head. Dad and I could never agree on spending money. In my view, it was always worth following the hard road, and taking the risk. If I needed a vehicle, I’d buy it – and I wouldn’t buy it unless I needed it. I’d pay 20% down, and pay off the rest over the following two years. Oddly, it was Dad who was the gambler, not me: I never put money on the horses. But I have never minded putting my money into the business. That’s the kind of risk I like to take.

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