Quite possible BNI NZ’s oldest member talks on bombs, conmen and the environment

Having witnessed the devastation of the Hiroshima atom bomb after World War II, BNI’s oldest member 82-year-old Don Wilson has always wanted to make a difference and his new business is letting him do just that.

(Pictured: Don Wilson delivers his 10 minutes)

As a result the BNI Whakatane visitor host and local business owner continues to inspire everybody around him.

“Age is only something on a calendar,” says Don. “If you want to do something and you feel like doing it, go out and do it.

Don has been in business in the Whakatane area since 1967 and sold his water filtration outlet just a couple of years ago. After that he wanted to do something that would make a difference to the environment, so he did.

Called Farmercy, his business supplies more than 60 biodegradable cleaning, sanitising and disinfecting products to customers such as farmers, workshops and motels.

Don spends six weeks to two months on the road cold calling in the entire Eastern Bay of Plenty, but has never officially missed even one of his 104 BNI meetings (he provided a sub to the one single meeting he couldn’t make).

“I look forward to my BNI meetings because we’re like a family,” says Don. “They’re a good bunch – it’s social as well as business.”

When he is away his wife looks after the shop, which has been set up in the couple’s garage at home. The business now has a good base of repeat customers.

He says he first became interested in the biodegradable products when a conman called at his door.

“He did a bunk without supplying me with all the product I paid for. I looked up the actual manufacturer and now deal directly with them.”

He says the biodegradable products are gaining widespread acceptance, particularly because people like farmers are concerned about the environment, and the penalties are so high.

“A farmer could be fined up to $100,000 if they damage a waterway – that’s probably a higher penalty than you could get if you punched a policeman on the nose.

“I’m no tree hugger, but I wanted to make a difference to the environment. We’re all going to go one day, but I’ll be leaving behind children, grandchildren and great grandchildren… and if we carry on as we are, we’re going to make an awful mess of things.

“This is a way for me to make a difference in my old age. I was in Japan in 1946, just after the War and I saw the devastation from the atom bomb. Then I went to Korea for two years during the Korean War and saw the damage caused by things like Napalm. We have to stop making a mess of things,” says Don.