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ENGINEERS100 MOST INFLUENTIAL47Sir Frederick Samson tosses the coin atthe 1972 South/East Fremantle derby.JOHNRUBINOEngineering firm Monodelphous was on theverge of collapse when John Rubino took thereins after the sharemarket crash of 1987.Having nursed the company out ofreceivership, a quarter of a century later, it isa $2 billion contracting giant.His reputation as company manager issuch that he is included alongside the likes ofbillionaire Harvey Norman boss GerryHarvey and Leighton Holdings’ Wal King inthe business book Master CEOs.Rubino migrated to WA from Sicily in 1966— unable to speak English but with a solidunderstanding of commerce, thanks to beingraised in a family with a deli and agriculturalbusinesses.After starting his Australian working life asa trade assistant, he seized an opportunity in1970 to become a sub-contractor on the OrdRiver dam project.He is quietly spoken, speaking with anaccent thick from his Italians roots, butshares business wisdom that has served WAsuccess stories such as Monadelphous andWesfarmers so well.The 68-year-old has spread his wealthacross property, including office buildings inAdelaide and West Perth.SIR FREDERICKSAMSONOne of the oldest families in WA, the Samsonheritage goes back to 1829.In that year, the family business, LionelSamson and Son, opened in Mouat Street inFremantle.Since then, three generations of Samsonhave been Fremantle mayors.The first of those was Lionel Samson, whohas his own entry in the Food section of thispublication.The most recent was his grandson,Frederick, who donned the ermine andchains from 1951 until he retired in 1972.He had been on the council since 1836.From World War I, Sir Frederick worked atthe Metropolitan Water Supply, Sewerageand Drainage Department and then as asurveyor.In 1931 he set up as an auctioneer and realestate agent at Fremantle.According to his biographer, PatriciaBrown, in the Australian Dictionary ofBiography, Sir Frederick “maintained that acity should be more than a place ofcommerce and exchange, and made himselfaccessible to anyone who came to him foradvice or help”.“He was quixotic in his efforts on behalf ofthe community and kept a pocket full ofcoins with which he fed meters on the streetsas he passed by, thereby saving motoristsfrom a possible fine.”In 1946, he helped to form the HomeBuilding Society and was chairman from 1951to 1974, during which time he helped it growits assets by $70 million.He was a councillor of the Real EstateInstitute of WA from 1949 until 1964 and wasa board member at the State ElectricityCommission for 20 years until his death.Friday, November 29, 2013