Today’s speaker was our own member, Clinton Burhouse, who gave us Part 2 of “Unemployed Geologist”.
It quickly became clear that Clinton is somewhat bemused by his success in business as a dealer in unusual rocks and jewellery. He reminisced on his inability to remain bored for very long, and it is clear that this promoted him to quickly move from one project to another. After much perseverance at school, and being encouraged by a schoolmaster to take up geology, he was successful in entering university at Imperial College, London, based entirely, he believes, on the low number of students wishing to take this course. During the course of his studies, each vacation was spent on organised field trips, one of which was to Builth Wells in Wales, where he discovered an affinity with fossils, and the ability to sell them for a profit in London. After university, a job was enjoyed, if that is the word, at RTZ, but he soon found this unrewarding after a particularly arduous spell in Aberdeen. He therefore resolved to set up his own business, much to his father’s despair, and by virtue of numerous contacts, initially from his fledgling business attempts in London, and his own inimitable style, he did indeed prosper.
Much of his business had expanded due to his fascination with travel, in the form of bicycles, scooters and various old motor cars. One trip took him to Cornwall, where he purchased, quite cheaply in his estimation, an existing cyclical business consisting of various rocks and stones, and tumble machines, to say nothing of the existing sales contracts contained therein, as a result of which he was able to manufacture and sell many items of lady’s jewellery. This encouraged him to move to other suppliers in Germany, when other product lines were developed.
Clinton attributes much of his success to people and friends he met during the course of his life, and from what we saw today, this affinity with people has not diminished during retirement.