It is with enormous professional and personal sadness that I must announce the passing of Ron Callan of Kocurek Excavators.
He was a stalwart of the demolition industry; living proof that in a rough, tough, hard-nosed business, there was still room for a genuinely nice guy.
I did the press relations for Kocurek Excavators for a while and Ron was my primary contact. I would meet with him every four to six weeks at the company’s facility in Ipswich.
Ron would schedule the meetings and they were almost always timed for mid to late morning because at around noon, he would start to wind things up before we both headed to the pub – Diet Coke for me and a pint (or two) for Ron.
I have other photos of Ron taken at various industry events over the years. But the one below sums up how I will choose to remember him – Beer in hand and a big smile on his face.
Ron retired at the end of last year due to worsening health. Of course, he had already worked way beyond retirement age. I sensed that he had no real desire to leave an industry to which he had given so much and within which he had so many friends.
The industry will be significantly less jolly for his passing. But it was a privilege to have known him.
Tomorrow’s episode of The Break Fast Show will be dedicated to his memory.
