...With 51 years in the industry I thought Grenville would have seen a lot of changes in his time, and indeed he has. I asked him what, in his opinion, was the most significant change and he responded that without question it was the innovation of wireline drilling. Prior to wireline drilling the methodology used was Standard Core, which necessitated the drill rods, core barrel and core tube being hauled out of the drill hole after every ten feet of drilling. Of course, the advent of wireline drilling made life a whole lot easier for the drill teams and it is entirely understandable it would be Grenville’s first thought when asked the question.
In my experience working in the logging industry, hard work and periods of boredom have created some pretty humorous stories and I thought that the drilling industry should be no different. Grenville confirmed this with a story from his time at the Labrador Iron Ore company mine. It seems there was an elderly driller who had a very regular routine that saw him in the double outhouse (two holer as it were) every morning promptly after breakfast. Well, about that time the fellows at the camp had to regretfully put down a bear that was habitually coming too close to the camp. So the guys hauled the bear to the outhouse and tied him up so that he was sitting on one of the holes, with his paws on his knees waiting for the old driller to take his morning constitutional. The guys then waited for the inevitable reaction but discovered something about old-timers: not much fazes them. The old fellow went in, spent his time, came out, and never said a word to anyone. The joke was on the other guys and everyone enjoyed it thoroughly.
During the same Roundup conference where I met Grenville I stopped in at an exhibition booth to chat with one of the suppliers for Cabo Drilling Corp. Fordia produces and distributes diamond drilling exploration products and was well represented at the conference by Régis Côté and his team. Régis patiently and expertly explained how a new piece of equipment worked while I politely pretended I understood what he was talking about so as not to appear as obtuse as I felt. When, mercifully, he either decided I understood him or more likely never would, I asked him if he knew Grenville. Régis said that in his estimation Grenville was one of the most knowledgeable people in the industry. As experienced as he is, he told me that when he needs to know something about drilling he calls Grenville.
Grenville Whyte is proof of the old adage: as a corporation, your most valuable resources go home at night.
Kevin Hull
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