Christmas had come early for Hamish Tyrwhitt this year, early and bearing gifts.

Finally, a May to look forward to, for the recently unmade, i.e. ex Leighton CEO, on full pay and in peace.

No nervous twitching of the stomach muscles, no worrying migraines, sleepless nights before another uncomfortable annual meeting.

No rowdy shareholders to pacify and over-ambitious journalists to answer to.

Not even random bloggers like me, to worry about.
Not that he would see this since he blacklisted me some months ago.

He’s been let off the hook.

True, in reality, he got dumped pretty bad, kicked out of his plush position that he hung onto with his bare fingers for quite a while…

… but no real Aussie would ever see it that way, let alone confirm it publicly, not after what he’d done for the company, the AEC industry, the country.

Especially after they see the German/Spanish arrogance swooping into the country and loudly claiming what they rightly think to be their own.

Yes, the new owners may have paid for this, yes they may even have the paperwork to prove it, but they know nothing about the Australian people if they think they can have ’Leighton’ – just, like that!

Does not really matter what colour the flag this ship is sailing under, if it’s not the ozzie version of the Union Jack, it counts for little.

Sure, they can have the shoddy bits, the ‘job-for-life’ attitude, the ‘pubbing on any day in the week’ and ‘sleep it off on construction sites afterwards’ practices. The myths of promises of becoming one of Wally’ boys and getting banished to Hong Kong, Malaysia or the Middle East, with everything these trips will burden one’s poor soul with…

They can bring the Spanish brigade to teach this old toothless granny how to suck eggs…

But…they will never get the other side of the coin….

And I wonder.. if Hamish Tyrwhitt IS finally getting it….

…if the ‘proverbial’ coin has finally dropped.

What will make for the  Spanish-German’s a  very difficult job to succeed in Australia is exactly the same ‘force’ he and his comrades have failed to foresee when in their arrogance went into conquering the Middle East, hastily and without thinking it through.

When they thought the ‘mate’ door will open doors everywhere and forever.

When they took things for granted.

A dangerous thing that is, taking anything for granted.

It is not only Hamish Tyrwhitt, that will need to learn this in the near future.

Picture from here: http://sourceable.net/leighton-chiefs-gone-as-hochtief-ups-offer/