Congratulations to Wayne Milne & Tom Williams for reaching their 35 year milestone with Seymour Whyte.
So, where shall we start? 1987 sounds like the perfect place.
1987 was a special year for Seymour Whyte. After all, it was the year that the company was founded by civil engineers John Seymour and Garry Whyte in Brisbane, Queensland.
Setting up their office in Boyland Avenue in Coopers Plains, John and Garry set out bidding for work in South-East Queensland with their first break coming in early 1988.
In 1987, Wayne Milne and Tom Williams joined ranks with Seymour Whyte at the very start of the company’s story.
It was the year that the first mobile phone call was made in Australia. Queensland won the 1987 State of Origin series by defeating New South Wales 10–8 in the third and deciding game.
Wayne and Tom would have been singing along to the Locomotion by Kylie Minogue and La Bamba by Los Lobos, which both topped the music charts that year.
From Seymour Whyte’s humble beginnings, Wayne and Tom have seen many changes over the years. You just need to look at our company timeline to see the progress and expansion, including VINCI’s acquisition.
Starting on Monday 2 November, Wayne began as a supervisor, progressing to Site Manager and then Superintendent working some of our large award-winning jobs such as Cairns Esplanade, Swan Street Bridge, Lismore Aquatic Centre and Green Square Trunk Stormwater .
Just a week later (Monday 9 November), Tom joined the business and has played a key role as Surveyor and subsequently Survey Manager on some of the company’s largest and most complex projects including Barkly Highway upgrade packages, Townsville Port Access Road, Ipswich Motorway Upgrade, Sunshine Motorway Duplication and Hale Street Link Bridge. Progressing to his current role of National Survey Manager, Tom has been instrumental in our project successes over the years.
To celebrate their milestone achievement, Tom and Wayne enjoyed a special meal at Madame Wu in Brisbane and Will MacDonald presented each with their service award and gift.
Asked about the impressive 35-year milestones, Will MacDonald – General Manager, Northern & Western Regions said:
“35 years is an exceptional achievement, and we appreciate Tom and Wayne’s loyalty throughout their careers.
It’s been wonderful to celebrate this momentous occasion with these two gentlemen and others within the regions who are reaching inspiring milestones.
It is rare to see such long tenures which is a testament to the strong partnerships forged at Seymour Whyte and our evolving culture”.
Wayne and Tom have both enjoyed successful careers and join Backhoe Operator Ray Kavanaugh in the elusive 35-year service club.
To have three people reach their 35-year milestone this year is a remarkable achievement for Seymour Whyte.
Studies suggest that the length of service in a job could be used to estimate the levels of job satisfaction of workers. If that’s the case, we hope to continue celebrating more milestones each year.
We thank Wayne, Tom and Ray for their service and commitment over the years. Seymour Whyte would not be where it is today without talented people like you.
