Ian Dickie
5 May 1929 – 26 July 2011
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of the
founder and Chairman of Ian Dickie & Co.
Ian Dickie left school in Johannesburg at the young age of
15 to take up a career in the Merchant Navy. He trained at
the General Botha Naval College in Cape Town as a deck officer
and upon graduation went to sea for 5 years. After completing
his commission he joined a major construction company as a
buyer, there he saw need for a reliable service orientated
supplier that could provide a fast and effective service to
the industry. He took the bold step of starting his company
in 1961 in Cape Town.
In 1967 he saw a pump advertised by a company called Selwood
Pumps from the UK but did not have the resources to import
them, gathering together what funds he could muster he flew
over to the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London, there the
people from Selwoods’ were able to gauge the quality
of the man they were about to come into close contact with
and offered him two pumps on an open account basis. This relationship
we are proud to say continues to this day.
The construction sector was not the only area were he saw
opportunity and soon the Municipal sector was added. In the
70’s Ian Dickie started to import drain rods, bucket
winch and jet machines from the USA. Ian Dickie Engineering
were able to adapt the bucket winch and jet machines to suit
the conditions in Africa and in fact were the first company
to produce the hydraulic powered bucket winch. The Ian Dickie
trailer and truck mounted jet machines are legendary and have
always been manufactured to the highest standards to meet
the needs of the operators
Then in 1984 Ian Dickie bought over the well established firm
of Hill & Howie who had manufactured drain rods and accessories
and had been in operation since 1940. Some will recall the
use of cane rods for drain cleaning but the metal and poly
rods that we supply are preferred by plumbers now.
Although Ian Dickie retired in the early 2000’s he still
took an active interest in the business affairs of the company
that he started. He was able to watch the company grow further
under the guidance of the management team that he nurtured
and entrusted to continue with the integrity and respect that
will always be associated with the name Ian Dickie.
His name, memory and legacy left, will live on for many years
to come by virtue of the Company being named after him, his
steadfast example to us all and how proud we all are to be
part of this company.