PROFILE
Wrecking ’ s in his blood
By Eamonn Ryan
Explosives engineer Mike Perkin has helped shape South Africa ’ s demolition and dismantling industry since his arrival here from the UK in 1981 . From those early roots , the business he founded , Wreckers Dismantling , has spread to many corners of Africa and the globe .
Perkin performed the first implosion of a building in all of Europe , as well as the first by a non-American company in the US — the original home to implosion . When Australia wanted two of its power stations demolished , they called him to capitalise on his experience in having demolished five such power stations in South Africa , one in Mozambique , and seven in the UK . The 68-year-old has been involved in demolition since 1966 when he began working in Yorkshire with a jack hammer and 14lb hammer . Explosives weren ’ t used back then , not even for 30-metre-high chimneys , and he learnt his trade the hard way — by exercising extreme safety and care , as structures were demolished virtually by hand .
At the profession ’ s foundation
He was one of the founding members of the UK Institute of Explosives Engineers and is the author of authoritative manuals that are still being used as textbook manuals today . In 1981 , Perkin came to South Africa as a consultant to Eskom to solve a problem at Matla Power Station involving a chimney that had partially collapsed during construction . This led to more tenders , and he consequently remained in the country . These were halcyon days for demolition , as the private sector of the day upgraded infrastructure , as opposed to the government of today that largely ignores old structures and even city buildings partially demolished by fire . “ There was a lack of knowledge of demolition at the time , everywhere in
Wreckers Dismantling
When pressing the ‘ go ’ button , Mike Perkin still gets as nervous today as when he started more than 50 years ago .
the world , and the only way to learn was by practice . I ’ d been fortunate in that up to the age of 28 , I had gained sufficient experience in projects outside of populated areas , so I was able to gain confidence ,” Perkin says . This was rare , and even today those skills remain exceptional . He cut his teeth in the business at a time when the industry in the UK was setting standards and formulating syllabuses for examinations as it became a recognised profession — something that is happening in South Africa only recently . It takes a minimum of 10 years ’ experience before one is competent to bring down a structure on one ’ s own ,
30 - CEC August 2018