Henry John Heinz was an American entrepreneur who founded the Heinz Company that is famous for its 57 Varieties. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on the 11th October 1844 to John Henry and Anna Margaretha Heinz. They were both were German immigrants who came to the United States, in the early 1840s. Settling in …
Two Environments
Recently Sky Movies aired a series of Tom Hanks films. One of his most popular movies was the film “Castaway”. In this movie, Tom acts the part of Chuck Noland, a FedEx executive. Whilst travelling to an assignment in Malaysia he ends up in a plane crash over the Pacific Ocean during a storm. Being …
In the Hands of the Potter
After leaving O’Hara's Bakery in the mid-nineties, I found employment working for Rentokil Initial. There I spent a happy seven years travelling around Northern Ireland working as a service Technician. One of the companies that I called with on a regular basis was Ulster Ceramics located in the Springtown Industrial Estate in Londonderry. I called …
The supervisor and the Shepherd
Anyone have memories of O’Hara’s Bakery? Famous for its plain bread and Belfast baps and many other delicacies! It’s hard to believe that it’s nearly twenty years ago that the local family business closed its doors for the last time and has been sadly missed ever since in the community. Back in the nineties, I …
Crossing the finishing line with a little bit of help from “a friend”
One of the defining moments of last year’s London Marathon happened when David Wyeth started to collapse just 300 metres short of the finish line. Another runner called Matthew Rees, set aside his own ambition on finishing at a personal best time, choosing to stop and help this total stranger get back on his feet …
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Shankill Boy Made Good!
It was a real privilege for me to recently visit the state of Texas in America for the first time. I was invited by my good friends Bobby and Lisa Waite to stay at their home in the beautiful city of McKinney, not far from Dallas. One of the highlights of the trip was a …
Understanding the Time
A recent front page newspaper headline stated “Schools Axe Old Clocks As Kids Can’t Tell the Time.” A teacher told a conference that the traditional clock was being replaced by digital ones because A-level and GCSE pupils complained that they couldn’t read clock faces in exam halls. This disclosure at a recent Partners in Excellence …