Yesterday we had a lovely visit from a Cat Inc-Japan employee called Toshie who has just arrived in Australia for a 6 month posting and was kindly being shown some of our "outback" over the weekend by Peter Mekis and his wife Bernadette, both great folks with Highway Yellow blood flowing through their veins. Peter is a long term employee of Cat Inc here in Melbourne, Australia, as was Bernadette for many years, as was her Father on the Production line in the Melbourne factory building new Cats for much of his working life, and now so is Peter and Bernadette's son, he is now working for Cat Australia too, so 3 generations from one family all associated with Cat Australia!

Both Peter and Toshie work within Cat Inc's Technical Engineering Department and support Cat products in the Asia / Pacific region, apparently Toshie is one of their Japanese factory Excavator experts who coordinates between customers and the factory on machines up to 90 tonnes in size, investigating those rare post production faults and assisting in a speedy resolution with the Product Designers, Factories, and Dealers, a critical role.

Peter has always had a soft spot for the older Cats, in fact he owns a 2 Ton Caterpillar himself that was bought years ago from our own inhouse Expert, "Edb", Mr. Eddie Bedwell, and Peter contacted me last week to see if it would be OK for Toshie to visit on the weekend while they were in the area so he could see some of the antique Caterpillar machines I have, obviously I was happy to oblige, and after a welcome coffee with Neil Clydesdale ("Wombat") and his wife Marilyn who were also visiting, I fired up the Fifteen and the 2 Ton for Toshie to drive, even Bernadette jumped on the Fifteen and took it for a spin, her first ever drive of a Caterpillar.

I think Toshie had a good visit judging by the smile on his face after he'd driven the old Cats, welcome to Australia Toshie San, even our pooch "Oreo the Wonder Dog" was keen to be in the photograph.
regards
Mike

Mr. Mike Meyer, We have never met only through this BB, but I believe from what I have observed you were a gracious host and would have been an excellent ambassador for ACMOC for their visit. You, Wombat, Deas Plant & edb would be my first pick of people I would contact if I every am fortunate to make it down under to give an idea of what the rusty nuts are up to in your part of the country.
Thanks for sharing your time with your new visitor (which he won't forget) and then sharing the story with the rest of us. It warms the heart on a winter day that is giving us -40 temp.
Have a good day, Snuffy

Thankyou for the kind words Snuffy, it was nice of you to take the time to write, I actually just got off the phone after talking to the son of a good buddy of mine who died in a tractor accident a month ago, he wants me to have his Dad's Massey Harris 35 tractor as a keepsake, so I'm a little bit in shock right now.

One thing I do know Mr. Snuffy is there are more good folks on this planet than bad one's, and some of the nicest folks I've met have been the one's helping save old Cats, you would be welcome to visit anytime.

All the best
Mike

My condolences on your friends passing. But once your over the shock of have a piece red painted iron in your shed I'm sure it will have a very good home,were you will treasure it for all the good memorizes of your friend.
Ray

"Ray54" wrote:

My condolences on your friends passing. But once your over the shock of have a piece red painted iron in your shed I'm sure it will have a very good home,were you will treasure it for all the good memorizes of your friend.
Ray

Thanks Ray, that is exactly what his son just said, about it being important his Dad's things went to good homes.

This photo I took when my buddy David visited last year and drove my RD4 around the farm for a hour doing a little tour, first time he had ever driven a Caterpillar and something he had always wanted to do, he talked about it to everyone for weeks when he got home.

RIP DPW

Regards
Mike

Very sorry to hear of your friend's passing. It is sad, but as Ray said, you will have a little memory of him, and he of you, with the bit of red under your care.

I'm glad that Toshie could connect with you and Wombat. It is important that the current generation recognize and appreciate where we came from. These machines, and the people around them, are both part of creating this understanding. You are indeed a good ambassador.

Pete.

Hi Mike, Paul Gordon here. Would you like to expand on the story of the Japanese visitor a little bit and send it along with the photos for insertion in the next ACMOC magazine? Would make a nice piece to show how ACMOC members are good ambassadors for Cat, which I am sure the company would appreciate.

Paul

PS: Deadline is Friday; plenty of time, right?

Hi mike sorry to hear about your friend but cherish that 35 it shows what you friends son
thinks of you. He could have sold it but wants you to have it

I can vouch for mikes ability to be a gracious Host to international visitors,

Hey Mike, Snuffy lives about 20 miles from me, but we haven't been able to meet up for coffee yet! We could probably arrange it when you come to visit.

Roger