November/December Issue 64 - Flipbook - Page 14
NEWS
NEW ASSOCIATE MEMBER: MIKE SAWARD CELEBRA
Mike Saward has recently
celebrated fifty-five years in the
recovery business.
Mike and his wife Elaine, who has
been at his side and married for
46 of those years, will be taking
a drink or two to celebrate his
lifetime in the business. Has there
ever been a nicer bloke to deal
with? I think probably not!
T fitted with a Holmes 750 twin
boom) together with Air cushions
and EKA Swedish underlift and
Mike took it all in.
In 1976 the company became
Wreckers International and so
Mike’s education took a turn,
working under the legendary Bill
Jackson which he had done so at
Dial Holmes.
It has been quite a journey and
Mike has had a front seat for most
of the way. He started work as a
mechanic in 1965 and trained on
recovery. On his first day he was
told to shadow a member of staff
called ‘Albert’ and learn on the job.
Wreckers international designed
and manufactured their own range
of Bulldog twin and single boom
Hydraulic Recovery Equipment.
They developed the Bulldog
Interstater, Recoverer and the
Pioneer axle.
That was with a company
called Dial-Holmes who had the
dealership for Ernest Holmes
Recovery Equipment which was
shipped over from the States.
They were also sole distributers
for the Century Range of Recovery
Equipment. They were exciting
times and laid the foundations for
the modern bodybuilders we have
today.
Albert Carter gave Mike a good
education in using the very latest
recovery equipment (a Diamond
Mike’s knowledge was growing so
much that he got involved in the
selling of vehicles after learning
from the bottom up to Sales
Manager, He then moved on to
Export Sales Manager selling
recovery equipment to Saudi
Arabia, Iran, Kenya - to name
a few - through some excellent
contacts with commercial vehicle
manufacturers.
Distributers were set up in
Germany. U.S.A, South Africa,
France, Belgium and Holland.
He admits that he has had some
good teachers along the way. “Bill
Jackson was quite a man,” he
recalls.
“Bill started off in this country with
a Ford Dealership but eventually
moved over to the States to Market
the Interstater range, apply named
for the USA market. He retired in
Florida but sadly passed away.
“Whilst working under Bill,
Wreckers
International
was
first to the market with several
innovations. Jumbo Air Cushions.
Bulldog Dominator Twin booms,
Hydraulic, Rotating Recovery
cranes.
They built the first Recoverers and
Sidewinders, the first Pioneer axle
and many more launches –After
the demise of Wreckers twenty
five years later, Mike was asked
to work with Mike Boniface to set
up a Sales and marketing division,
Boniface Recovery Systems Ltd.
This was highly successful and
helped catapult Boniface to be
of the leaders in the recovery
industry.
Mike
then
left
Boniface
Engineering and helped set up
Worldwide Recovery Systems as
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