One man’s passing and my story
A waking moment to
attend to a nature call, then a brief glance at my phone to find that J. Martin Schröder
had passed on early last month at the age of 93.
The obituary I read
in the Telegraph filled in many gaps in my knowledge of the man who I never met
but whose company on the verge of being absorbed by another played a
significant role in my life. [The
Telegraph: J Martin Schröder, enterprising Dutch pilot who built Europe’s first
budget airline]
In early 2010, it was
a dauntingly impossible task to write a resume with a one-year gap for jobs I
used to be able to cherry pick for highly remunerated contract rates. Times when
I could take a month or two off work to do other things were a luxury I could
no longer afford.
Have you a job for
me?
In the aftermath of
the failure of my health and treatment for cancer, I had received a grace
period from my creditors and despite the generous welfare payments I eventually
applied for, 8 months later than I should have because I was unaware of my
entitlements in the Netherlands, I was ready to get back to work even though I
barely had the strength for any activity.
I had this idea to
place a notice on LinkedIn explaining my situation to my network and out of it
came an opening, a young colleague I worked with a few years before contacted
me saying the job is not what I normally do but I could be useful for the
project his recruiting outfit was getting personnel for. If only I had an
enterprising business head like him, he worked on both sides of the game.
A different
engagement
I attended an interview,
and I cannot say it was my perspicacity that got me the role, I was a shadow of
myself in many ways, but I was given the opportunity, there and then.
I got into the activity;
it was an IP Renumbering project with Martinair the airline and
cargo company. Their IT infrastructure had IP Address ranges that overlapped
with that of KLM, all their systems needed to be reconfigured for the
absorption into the broader enterprise.
My first 5 days at
work totally knocked me out, I was too tired to get any rest, I was more
exhausted than I had ever felt before, that it immediately dawned on me, that I
was everything but superhuman, I needed to slow things down. In the process, I
was able to negotiate a 4-day week with Wednesdays off.
The project was
canned after 2 months and resurrected a month after to the end of the year. It
gave me a big break and I am forever grateful to the many colleagues who
accommodated my issues through the project. It was my last job before I left
the Netherlands to return to the UK.
Grateful for the
opportunity
That stint at
Martinair meant I could notch up another industry in my career profile and to
think I had worked so close to Amsterdam
Schiphol Airport in Hoofddorp and Schiphol-Rijk for many years without
being in that industry.
I however maintain my
links with the Netherlands through the Flying Blue loyalty
scheme as I mainly fly with Air France-KLM
except where they do not serve the intended route.
I cannot think of
what I would have done if Martinair, the dream and enterprise founded by J
Martin Schröder, did not have a job going. So many memories and some enduring
friendships too. I acknowledge them and to the great man and pioneer in the
aviation industry, may his soul rest in peace.
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