Vol 47, No 2 Autumn/Winter 2011 - Finlays

News
Horticulture Africa News continued…
Catnapped!
Spray carnation volumes were down
on 18 November thanks to a leopard
discovered sleeping in the greenhouse
at Kingfisher Farm in Naivasha reports
Philip Valentine, GM, FHK Naivasha.
Most of the carnation farm was
evacuated following an early morning
report from the section supervisor that
a grown leopard had been seen in the
carnation tunnels. There followed a tense
period: the workers assembled in a lower
canteen area together with some
justifiably concerned zebra, while the
onsite team lead by Carnation Manager
Mike Diesbecq tried to identify exactly
where the intruder was. He was
eventually spotted in the carnation beds
where, after some initial uneasiness and
roaming around, he lay down quietly
under some substrate beds and rested.
Coincidentally, the senior managers were
all in a Business Continuity Plan session,
so the drama, very conveniently, could be
played out as a minor crisis! The Kenya
Wildlife Service was notified and the local
warden decided to call the KWS vet team
down from HQ in Nairobi to dart the
leopard and relocate it. They arrived at
around 4pm to set up.
Luckily, having killed a young zebra
nearby early that morning, the leopard
had decided to sleep the entire day in the
carnation tunnels. It was, however, a
conventional case for darting. We did not
want to risk things going wrong and
having to cope with an angry leopard
trying to escape across the greenhouses.
The whole carnation farm shut early
while the vets went to work. The darting
successfully accomplished, the Game
Department placed the animal in a
mobile trap in which it was taken, at
dusk, to Kongoni Game Sanctuary around
20kms away. This, however, may not
prove far enough: a male leopard’s home
range can be up to 80km, so we may well
see him back, looking for his supper!
See our inside cover for pictures of the
drama!
South Africa
Appointments
Stephen Simmons was appointed
as Financial Manager on 1 August
2011. Boesman Masilela was
appointed as the IPM Supervisor
on 23 May. Boesman holds a BSc
degree in Plant Protection from the
University of Pretoria while Stephen
holds a BCompt degree from the
University of South Africa. Both say
they are delighted to be joining the
motivated and effective FFSA team.
Alison Moves On
Alison Leeming has left Finlays
South Africa after eight years of
service to join Finlays UK (see page
26). Alison worked in Planning,
Sales and Logistics.
Skills Development
Fana Mokoena, Packhouse Manager,
has successfully passed his
certificate in Logistics Management
with Damelin College.
Mount Kenya
Herbal Venture
Finlays Mt Kenya have embarked on a
new business, growing fresh herbs for
UK and European customers. Products
include dill, coriander, rosemary, chervil,
parsley and chives.
Farewell to Brian Allen
Brian Allen has announced his
resignation after 19 years with the
company. Brian is off to do some
projects for himself and will remain
in the Mt Kenya region. His service,
commitment and loyalty cannot be
overvalued and we wish him every
success.
Sports Day
The Mt Kenya sports day, a huge success,
was held on 13 October with more than
2000 people in attendance. All employees
participated in events which included
cycling, sprints, relays, sack race,
tug-of-war, football (won by the Security
Team), traditional dancing and ‘Mr and
Miss Timau’ competitions. The athletics
and men’s football events were once
again dominated by the Security team.
Siraji Packhouse continued their
dominance in Volleyball by winning both
the men’s and ladies’ events whilst their
colleagues from Flowers won the
women’s football. After their humiliation
last year, the management tug-of-war
team managed to turn the tables on the
staff team and claim victory.
Wilfred Murithi wins the men’s bike race for the
second year running.
The victorious Security football team (standing l-r):
Isaac Kalenda, Robert Mutuma, Ramadhan Idd Mbwana,
Francis Macharia; (front row l-r): Amos Wambani
Wafula, Joseph Wachira.
30 Autumn/Winter ’11