The stream of my life...

I'm a mechanical engineer... retired, now.

Started working at 17, as a draftsman.

At 21, was conscripted for military service, for 18 months.  After three months of basic training in an Infantry unit, was selected for a branch somewhat related to the present Special Operations nowadays.  Furthermore, due to my academic education level, also followed a 6 months course aimed to training for sergeants.

Military life not being exactly what I liked, on the contrary, the only part of my training I loved was related to horse riding ( I am a horses lover...).  So, the only photo taken in the Army is the one shown below.  Modern computer technology helped a lot in enhancing the overall quality of this picture.

Worked on different fields, such as telecommunications and also in special projects related to equipment for dams construction.

By August 1959, went to Paris, France, as an emigrant, both to work and to continue my studies. In France, worked on projects related to iron ore enrichment, transportation equipment and automotive industry.

By December 1959, became project team leader and, six months later, was appointed Chief Project responsible for a special projects department.

Paris, 1962

By August 1963, while vacationing in Portugal, a friend offered to  me a position in the recently installed Ford Assembly Plant, 40 kilometers away from Lisbon. I accepted it and, by November, was appointed Plant Layout & Materials Handling Engineer.

Four years later, was invited by the main Portuguese brewery for a position as head of the General Equipment Department for the installation of the biggest brewery in Portugal.

Once the brewery was already producing, I've been invited by one of the contractors to work for them in the installation of a big oil refinery in the North of Portugal, with the position of General On-site Manager.

By the end of this contract, looked for another job near Lisbon. Was offered a position as Assistant to the Resident Engineer responsible for the installation of the new Cold Rolling Plant at the Portuguese Steel Mills. I was personally responsible for the management of all personnel involved with the equipment installation (nearly 450 workers), equipment and materials storage and handling operations, temporary installations and equipment, security and safety.

As the plant was already on production trials, was invited for a position involving the installation and management of the Technical Studies Cabinet, with the responsibility to define specifications for spare parts and to organize and manage the spare parts supply. Further on, was also appointed to cumulate the position of Rollers Reconditioning Shop Manager. Later on, was appointed to a new position as head of the General Maintenance Planning and Control Dept.

Meanwhile, the 30th of May 1970, I married Arlette.

Arlette & Mario

Then, one day, a friend who was working for a big insurance company told me that his company was having big trouble looking for someone qualified for a job as Risk Inspector near to the general contractor for the construction of the big deep waters harbour in Sines (150 kilometers south of Lisbon). One month later, I was in place, and did a fine and pleasant job for three years, the duration of the main works.

Was then invited by a big civil works contractor for their engineering department. Was appointed estimator and industrial costs analyst. Worked on roads, harbours, dams and tunnels projects in Portugal and West Africa.

It lasted for more than three years, until a friend who was working in the oil field in Africa introduced me to an englishman who was in charge of completing a team of four skilled specialists to work as instructors on oil production platforms operated by Texaco in the off-shore of Angola and Nigeria in order to train local people as production operators and maintenance workers.

Teaching basic skills

Was appointed by Texaco as Senior Instructor, acting as Instruction Team Leader alternating with the British team leader in the leave periods. Texaco Field Superintendents referred to my gang of trainees (the mechanical maintenance team) as...

The Marvel Team

(don't be duped, the pilot was behind the camera...)

It lasted for two years, on a 28-28 work scheme (28 days work on site followed by a 28 days leave at home, in Portugal).

This has been an extremely rewarding activity, while risky and extremely demanding, as the results exceeded the general expectations. Furthermore, I once experimented a new exciting fishing performance...

The fish...

As I was vacationing at home while preparing to start another training project in the oil field, also on Texaco's platforms, my wife went ill.

The doctors diagnosed a malignant tumor in the oesophagus. She had a laparotomy done, but this was too late. Then, I decided to quit work in order to assist her until she died, what  happened two years later. For one year long, I kept receiving calls to accept new jobs in the oil field, but I could not think leaving my wife without my support amidst her long and distressing agony.

After my spouse's death, the 5th of November 1986, I became a training consultant, went deeply enough into computing, developed some training projects both in Portugal and Angola...

Until the end of 1999.

Then, I retired. Would like to keep working, but my Mom's condition is requiring a lot of attention from me so, I just can't get involved with any demanding projects.

I traveled a lot, both for professional purposes and leisure... well, not very much for leisure, actually. I have been in many parts of western Europe (Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Belgium and England) and North and West Africa as well (Morocco, Gabon, Congo and Angola).

Perhaps the most exciting and gratifying of all my voyages was a 650 kilometers trip (3 days) across the Mayombe Jungle, in Congo, by January 1981.

Mayombe Jungle

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