Meet The Board

 

In an attempt to get to know them better, we recently sat down with the board members of the PIRB and asked them a range of simple questions.

Henry Bonthuys

What are you passionate about (other than plumbing)?                              

Training, engineering, electrical, and structural inspections.

How many years have you been part of the plumbing industry?                  

44 years.

What is the most valuable professional advice you have ever been given?  

Always work according to the regulations in all trades.

What has been the highlight of your career?                                                    

Success in different areas.

Do you have a favourite plumbing quote/advice to impart?                           

Focus on quality assurance.

Lorraine Mooi

What are you passionate about (other than plumbing)?

I love reading everything and anything from fiction to non-fiction. My favourite book is The Richest Man in Babylon.

How many years have you been part of the plumbing industry?

10 years.

What is the most valuable professional advice you have ever been given?

Keep improving yourself and utilise whatever opportunities that come your way.

What has been the highlight of your career?

Winning the IOPSA Industry Lady of the Year 2018. It has its own special place on the shelf.

Do you have a favourite plumbing quote/advice to impart?

Plumbing is one of the most essential fields. Water is life and everyone in the plumbing industry has an important role to play. Always be proud of that.

Richard Bailie

What are you passionate about (other than plumbing)?

I’m a hobbyist mountain biker, I build ship models when I can. I love spending quality time with my friends and family in our beautiful city and its array of attractions.

How many years have you been part of the plumbing industry?

Since 1991 (about 28 years).

What is the most valuable professional advice you have ever been given?

You know you are starting to learn something when you realize you know nothing.

What has been the highlight of your career?

There are two: When I successfully plumbed the Sante Wellness Centre & Spa, and becoming a PIRB auditor.

Do you have a favourite plumbing quote/advice to impart?

Learn, learn, and learn some more!!

Sello Mokawane

What are you passionate about (other than plumbing)?

Petrol station owners.

How many years have you been part of the plumbing industry?

Five years.

What is the most valuable professional advice you have ever been given?

Meet the requirements and be humble.

What has been the highlight of your career?

Being the junior vice-president of the MBA North.

Do you have a favourite plumbing quote/advice to impart?

My greatest education comes from the school of hard knocks: failing and trying again is what has best qualified me to be in the position that I am today.

Adriaan Myburgh

What are you passionate about (other than plumbing)?

Life! Fishing, golf, family, friends — anything that keeps the body and mind occupied.

How many years have you been part of the plumbing industry?

I started in 1988 — that gives me 32 years and counting.

What is the most valuable professional advice you have ever been given?

Respect for others; you can resolve anything with anyone after that.

What has been the highlight of your career?

I qualified in 1991, that was special. I joined the local authority as an inspector in 1999 and was promoted to senior plumbing & drainage inspector for NMBM in 2008 to oversee the plumbing work done in our metro. I have been blessed with so many!

Do you have a favourite plumbing quote/advice to impart?

Whether it be material- or workmanship-related, never take advice from someone who is not going to have to deal with the consequences of that advice given.

Daniel Pentasaib

What are you passionate about (other than plumbing)?

Travelling to experience other cultures.

How many years have you been part of the plumbing industry?

Thirty-three years of experience in the building environment.

What is the most valuable professional advice you have ever been given?

Enjoy whatever you do and do it like you are doing it for yourself and it will certainly turn out perfect and flawless.

What has been the highlight of your career?

Peer learning and tutorials with municipalities, and managing a staff complement of 150.

Do you have a favourite plumbing quote/advice to impart?

The most menial task can turn out to be perfect and appreciative, only if you put your mind to it and enjoy it fully.

Gary Chandler

What are you passionate about (other than plumbing)?

I enjoy a round of golf, although I’m not very good at it, but I am working on it. Fast cars, motorsports, and motorbikes.

How many years have you been part of the plumbing industry?

I started as a picker at Saffer & Company in 1991, so 27 years in the plumbing game now.

What is the most valuable professional advice you have ever been given?

A business succeeds not because it is a big brand with a big audience; it succeeds because there are people in it who eat it, dream it, and sleep it every day of their lives. Be passionate about everything you do.

What has been the highlight of your career?

Being promoted to commercial director of Plumblink.

Do you have a favourite plumbing quote/advice to impart?

If you don’t do it right, don’t do it!

Malcolm Harris

What are you passionate about (other than plumbing)?

I enjoy golf, the bush, and bird watching.

How many years have you been part of the plumbing industry?

Twenty-five years — I started my apprenticeship in 1993.

What is the most valuable professional advice you have ever been given?

Treat everybody like you would want to be treated

What has been the highlight of your career?

Every time I have a solution to help a plumber solve his problem.

Do you have a favourite plumbing quote/advice to impart?

Best advice is, don’t judge your customers too quickly — sometimes the annoying one is testing you for greater things.

Lea Smith

What are you passionate about (other than plumbing)?

Making a difference and adding value to whatever you do.

How many years have you been part of the plumbing industry?

As my father is a plumber, one can say all my life, as I worked during school holidays. However, formally working on the tools and in the trenches, I would say then for the past 25 years.

What is the most valuable professional advice you have ever been given?

Whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability, and that wealth is not measured in rands and cents.

What has been the highlight of your career?

It would be a host of things, but more importantly, that one person can really make a difference if they have the right attitude and do things for the right reason.

Do you have a favourite plumbing quote/advice to impart?

This is one of many favourite quotes said by Lucius Annaeus Seneca: “If a man does not know what port he is steering for, no wind is favourable to him.”

Susan Walls

What are you passionate about (other than plumbing)?

I am passionate about the insurance industry and sharing the knowledge that I have acquired over the past 35 years while being part of the industry. I am also passionate about mentoring and educating new entrants into the industry.

How many years have you been part of the plumbing industry?

I have been in the insurance industry for 35 years.

What is the most valuable professional advice you have ever been given?

Don’t ever compromise on your integrity.

What has been the highlight of your career?

Obtaining my BCom degree at the age of 52.

Do you have a favourite plumbing quote/advice to impart?

I’ll leave this one for the plumbers to answer!

Steve Brown

What are you passionate about (other than plumbing)?

Forging knives, family time, and when I get the chance, a surf and walking my dogs on the beach.

How many years have you been part of the plumbing industry?

Forty-two years in the industry.

What is the most valuable professional advice you have ever been given?

Lead by example and don’t ask someone to do something you haven’t; respect is earned.

What has been the highlight of your career?

Having been in the industry for so many years, there are many highlights:

• Being elected IOPSA president.
• Being elected to the World Plumbing Council.
• The one that stands out the most is how our industry, through both IOPSA and the PIRB, has impacted on our industry and knowing I have made a difference.

Do you have a favourite plumbing quote/advice to impart? 

Attitude is altitude; have a can-do rather than a can’t attitude and make it happen. Nothing is impossible.

Martin Coetzee

How many years have you been part of the plumbing industry?

Forty-six years in the construction industry and 42 in the plumbing industry.

What is the most valuable professional advice you have ever been given?

You shouldn’t take life too seriously.

What has been the highlight of your career?

Receiving IOPSA’s Service to the Institute Award in 2015. I have been involved with the SABS since 1994 and started working at Cobra in 1983. I currently sit on 36 committees and working groups. I was also awarded the SABS Service Accolade in 2014.

Do you have a favourite plumbing quote/advice to impart? 

“I’m not clever; I’ve just been around for a very long time.”