Richard Fry set to retire

When I joined this wonderous industry of ours in 1995 there was so much to learn and so many people to get to know. One of the very first of those was Richard Fry, who has been a constant and reassuring figure throughout the subsequent 27 years.

Richard, who I had always thought ran on the sort of batteries so vital to the smooth and extended running of cuddly bunnies, recently announced that he would be stepping down from his role within his own company, Greenlink Int Ltd, Rigby Taylor, and more recently Origin Amenity Solutions. “I don’t want to stop, but perhaps do things at a slower pace from now on. I hate the word ‘retired’! So, I will be standing down from the day-to-day responsibilities of GreenLink Int Ltd and the companies I’ve been working with and supporting over the years,” said Richard. Richard always had a love for the natural world, biology and botany, while he also used to collect fossils, so it was no surprise that his first employment was in a large glass house nursery. “That piqued my interest in commercial horticulture,” he said. Having decided to take that further, he completed a diploma in horticulture at Sparsholt College in Hampshire, before joining May & Baker Ltd, becoming head of the company’s Sports & Recreational division “…which I renamed M&B Environmental Products,” recalled Richard. “It was an exciting time as there was a plethora of new chemicals arriving from Europe, America and Japan and diseases and weeds being controlled for the first time,” he said, adding that he was responsible for the launch of Rovral, a hugely successful product which remained in use until 2000.

He spent three very enjoyable years travelling the world while he managed May & Baker’s Laboratory Chemical business, but the lure of the amenity sector was too strong and he set up his own marketing consultancy, GreenLink Int Ltd, to offer marketing and business development services to companies in the industry.

Many companies availed themselves of GreenLink’s services over the years, including ICI, Toro, Jacobsen, Hardie, Farmura, Vitax, Supaturf, Aquatrols, BIGGA and many others.

Richard has seen the development of the industry first-hand for the last 40-plus years and is therefore more than qualified to pass comment.

“Back in the ‘80s many greenkeepers and groundsmen had low levels of self esteem and did not really see themselves as skilled operators. You have to pat BIGGA on the back because it acted as a conduit to enable people on golf courses to obtain the information and education which meant that the role of greenkeeper became much more of a profession and not just a job.

“That education has benefited the industry hugely and we have moved on from the derogatory term ‘grass cutter’ and the skills they now have allows them to create the amazing

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playing surfaces that we see today.”

That improved professionalism has seen high quality younger individuals entering the industry who are much more technically aware and it all helps to raise the profile.

“Peter Alliss was the first person to mention a greenkeeper by name on the television. Previously it had just been ‘the greenkeeper’ and the surfaces were barely mentioned. I’ve noticed that happening more with cricket and football. That is a great benefit for those who see it as a career.”

The industry is awash with personalities and Richard highlighted several for special mention over his time.

“Stan Ellison was the journalist who launched Turf Management magazine, which was a bit spikey at times, but always an exciting read. Keith Cleverly was working for ICI, basically doing what I had done for May & Baker. He died at a very young age, but always had tremendous enthusiasm and ambition. Then there was Walter Woods, who I met many times and who was the man who probably had the best job in the world as far as golf is concerned (Superintendent for St Andrews Links). He never changed and would always welcome you as if he’d seen you the day before yesterday.

“Others that have been brought to mind are Jonathan Harmer of Farmura who singlehandedly pioneered, and then established the use of liquid organic fertilisers for golf courses. Then Bernard Hedley, of Rigby Taylor, who took the company from being the leading supplier to golf and sports clubs in the north of England to a dominant force nationwide.”

When asked about what he’d achieved which made him particularly proud, Richard paused, and then said that it was perhaps for others to pass comment. However, when pressed, he did give an insight into what it was that had made him stand out in his particular field over the years.

“I would say looking at what had been done in the past and then doing it in a different way. I mean by that looking at how products should be promoted, advertised and exhibited. I couldn’t see the point in promoting pack shots – why on earth would you use packaging to promote a product? So, I started to use other graphic images to indicate what the product would do and be something which would make someone flicking through a magazine stop and read. Then we would tie the theme in to the leaflets that promoted the product and the exhibition stands as well so it was all tied in together. That would work for Rigby Taylor, or any of the companies I was working with.

“It was combining traditional practices with new ways of thinking.”

For someone who has been in the industry for such a long time, Richard has always retained an enthusiasm for whatever task he has in front of him.

“I’ve had so much fun, I really have. I’ve woken up every morning and seen it as a challenge and there was always something I was looking forward to doing. For years I went to bed with a notebook and pencil on my bedside cabinet so if I woke up in the middle of the night with an idea, I’d jot it down. It didn’t always go down well with my wife!”

And looking forward…

“I’ll maybe dust off my golf clubs which haven’t seen the light of day for a while. I do enjoy golf and did play to a reasonable standard at one time. We enjoy travelling and should have more time for that. I also really enjoy cookery as a hobby and tackling a recipe I’ve never done before from scratch.”

So, there we have it. If we are not lucky to bump into Richard at a trade show or industry event over the next while, there is a chance we may see him appearing as a contestant on The Great British Bake Off or Masterchef! Whatever, you can be sure that he will make the most of the additional time he now has available.