Mr. Mackenzie was a great influence on the lives of both myself and my wife, Julie. As an apprentice to fitting and turning at the Penarth Dock Engineering Company I was working at Hodges Engineering and Fownes Forge on No. 1 dock at Barry, both companies being part of the group owned by the Penarth Company.

At the Barry College of Further Education I was taking my O.N.C. in engineering and Mr. Mackenzie invited back to Penarth to work under his supervision in the newly set-up drawing office. It was during this period that I was bet ten shillings (50p) that I wouldn't invite Julie Thomas out on a date; she being the Chairman's secretary. I accepted the bet and we have now been married for over 55 years!

At the end of my apprenticeship there were many skilled people out of work in the South Wales area and I was invited to move to Yorkshire for my musical and technical expertise commencing January 1971. Mr. Mackenzie, unfortunately, took a dim view of this as he had plans for my advancement within the Company. At that date he was the General Works Manager.

I do recall giving Mr. Mackenzie my O.N.C. mathematics exam paper complete with my answers - the following day he commented that all my answers were incorrect! A few weeks later I found out that I had passed the exam with 94%!!! Mr. Mackenzie was at that time working towards being a Chartered Engineer with the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, so I am not sure if he achieved his objective!

His son Stuart commented : -

From my perspective of his engineering career his initial engineering apprenticeship with a Barry company, unfortunately I cannot remember the name. Prior to his joining Penarth Dock Engineering he worked for a Tube manufacturing company in Wednesfield in the West Midlands. I can't remember his position there.

I do remember he joined Penarth Dock Engineering as works manager in 1967. Over the following years he studied hard and obtained a degree in mathematics. Subsequently, he was promoted to General Manager. Now, I don't remember him being Production Director, this may have been the case, but I remember he was definitely the managing Director around '73'. So, this maybe the step that was prior to M.D.

Around '77', The Christopher Bailey group bought out P.D. And my father then had to take on the responsibility of the Financial Directorship along with his own role. Furthermore, under the C.B. group he became the M.D. for Barry Dock Engineering, Cardiff Specialist Engineers and Nationwide Transport. This was until C.B. decided to sell of the engineering section of the group in '79'.

My Fathers career carried on a familiar route in engineer as a financial director, then being a partner in a consultancy company MMC Ltd, until his retirement.