b'Member News November 2021 19My working lifeMy working life: Gerry Beake MSc CEng FIETeducation, and once I passed my HNCEngineering, and the next at the age of 20, I was the youngestgeneration of engineers, will engineer that Decca Navigator Ltdbe essential in solving the sent overseas in charge of a project. With this opportunity, and by sheerproblems we face globally determination, I spent a year in Canadaconcerning climate change, helping to find the source of pollutionsustainability, and health. in the Great Lakes and assisting Esso locate oil beneath the polar ice cap. I always take the opportunity to let people know how incredible In my career, I havethe technology most of them seized every opportunitytake for granted is. I possibly could. I have travelled extensively worldwideA great number of people, and most of my professional life I spent overseas in very remote areasand most notably the younger supervising projects or maintaininggeneration, have no idea of and repairing equipment. Althoughthe technology involved in this meant working on my own for months at a time, it provided mesuch simple things as flushing with an opportunity to focus onthe toilet, making a phone Gerry Beake MSc CEng FIET my own personal and professionalcall, switching the light on, To those starting out indevelopment; without these their careers, my first pieceexperiences, I wouldnt have gone onetc. I constantly praise those to achieve even greater things, suchwho designed and built the of advice is to acquire aas becoming a Chartered Engineer. railways, the canals, the roads, very good fundamentalthe national grid - not to knowledge from the outset.Without new experiencesmention geniuses like James Focus on your management andand taking chances to learn soft skills; life will be much smootheras much as you can, youllMaxwell and Albert Einstein. when you know how to interact withnever progress or have other people in the professionalkey moments to look back world. Also, familiarisation withon later in your career. basic physics and electrical theoryBeing an IET member gives you will make the rest much easier. When I was on a three-year contractrespect and status among your as the Electrical Engineer at Windhoekpeers, as well as recognition Never let anyone dissuadeInternational Airport in South Westfor your achievements.you from fulfilling yourAfrica, when it transitioned to Namibia own aspirations.in 1990, I met Nelson Mandela. TheI certainly believe it provides an new President Nujoma celebrated byenormous advantage when job-I was obsessed from a very young ageinviting the heads of state of the worldshunting. When (I thought) Id retired with a passion for travel. Unfortunately,nations to his inauguration, and I metseven years ago, I had three phone as my father had spent his formativeMr Mandela on the red carpet as hecalls out of the blue from recruitment years at war in the Pacific, he had awas being greeted to Windhoek by theagents, each of which transpired into very biased concept of life outside theAirport Manager. The Airport Managersjob offers. Im now an Authorising UK and tried his hardest to put meradio battery had just died, and I wasEngineer at RJ Power Networks. You off. He did, however, encourage mytaking him a freshly charged one. never stop being an engineer.Engineering, and the next generation of engineers, will be essential in solving the problems we face globally concerning climate change, sustainability, and health.Are you a retired member who would like to be featured in our next issue? Please contact us at: membernews@theiet.org'