The NCT Story

A third party appeared on the scene in the eighties and offered to purchase a half share of the CTC chip plant at Richards Bay. There were objections from TWK and many NCT growers who feared NCT could lose its identity in time. The offer was rejected. NCT’s strength is in the support it receives from its members and over the years there have been many threats from powerful outside bodies to strike discord amongst individual growers thereby weakening NCT’s effectiveness. It was felt that union with a competitor would eventually weaken NCT’s control and thus the private grower would be back to square one, where he had been as he was forty years earlier. The idea of a joint venture with local third parties was mooted several times over in this era but all came to nought. E V E R Y O N E W A N T

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BARKING DOGS • at Board Meetings •

Meetings of the NCT Board are not without humour and lightness at times. There was the time when Doug Crowe was earnestly holding forth on some important topic, (probably the prevailing low timber prices), and being constantly interrupted by a yapping dog in the flats next door to NCT's boardroom. Finally in exasperation he requested, ‘Mr Chairman, please send out the General Manager and have him buy the dog and have it put down!’ Incredibly, the creature ceased barking with immediate effect.

The NCT Story

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