Simple values the answer to world challenges
- By Wits University
PhD and Masters graduands have been advised to look to their nursery school years for solutions to the complex problems facing the world.
Bernie Krone, Chief Executive Officer of Esor Limited, one of South Africa’s leading civil engineering and construction groups, has told high achievers that they need make the world prettier, softer and friendlier. This, he said, can be achieved by going back to the basics, the fundamentals of life which were taught in elementary school.
Krone shared these words during his keynote address at the graduation ceremony of the Faculties of Science; and Engineering and the Built Environment, where close to 200 Witsies collected higher degrees.
Drawing on the work of Robert Fulghum, Krone reminded the graduates about the golden rules learnt in nursery school which said: share everything; play fair; don’t hit people; put things back where you found them; clean up your own mess; don’t take things that aren’t yours; say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody; wash your hands before you eat; and flush.
Nursery school taught us about equality, politics, basic sanitation, ecology, love and sane living, he said.
Click here to read his speech delivered on 21 November 2013 in the Wits Great Hall.
About Krone:
Krone has over 32 years of experience in geotechnical engineering and has worked in major basement excavations in southern Africa. He read for a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering graduated from Wits in 1975. Wits holds a special place in his heart and a testament of this is the 1975 Wits tie which he wore to the graduation on Thursday.
Born in 1953 in Halstead, England, Krone was raised in South Africa and attended St Martins School.
He is a member of the Engineering Council of South Africa and the South African Institute of Civil Engineers.
He is married and the father of six children.
