Jeremy FrancisSend a message to

Jeremy Francis

Jeremy Francis

This is my father's employee identification card. He worked at Federation Chemicals in Pt. Lisas, which became Hydro Agri and is now Yara Trinidad. He worked there from 1959 to 1993, when he retired. My father is known for keeping very accurate records and would have noted on the card his start and end date at the company, and also how old he was when he started (22.5 years old). He often told me the story of how he started working there. In those days, he and his friends would take their bicycles and go around looking for work. On this particular day, he rode to 'FedChem's' compound in Savonetta, all the way from Piparo village (a distance of about 28 km) and spoke to a supervisor on the site. Luckily, he had recently obtained his truck licence, so he was given a job to transport material to the shipyard/docks, which was under construction at the time. He loved to drive, so this was a great opportunity. However, he soon ran into trouble. During his lunch break one day, he took the company vehicle 'for a drive' on the extensive grounds of the plant. The van got mired in some mud close to the docks and got stuck. He knew that he could lose his job, because he wasn't supposed to be using the vehicle at that time. He went to his supervisor and told him what happened. He was told to leave and come back the next morning, and that what he did was very serious. When he went back, he was told he would not be fired, but was given a job in another department 'where he would not have anything to drive.' From that day, and for the next 34 years until his retirement, my dad worked in the Stores department. His decision to take responsibility for what had happened became something he would be known for throughout his life.

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