adminTinashe Makichi Business Reporter
IRVINE’S is a household name in the poultry industry in Zimbabwe, thanks largely to the efforts of the late William Mitchie Irvine , who died two weeks ago at the age of 93. Mr Irvine, who breathed his last on August 24, will be remembered for his illustrious career as a farmer and politician before and after the country’s independence.
Born in northeast Scotland on June 17, 1920, Mr Irvine spent a large part of his early adult life in Europe before relocating to South Africa in 1948 at the age of 28.
He got a job at Van der byl Park before trekking to the then Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, after a few months.
While in Rhodesia, he worked for an engineering firm, Lysaghts.
He then started chicken farming in the early 1950s in his backyard with his wife looking after the chickens and the children.
The chicken enterprise grew and Irvine’s was incorporated in 1957 when his partner, the late Jim Cannon, joined him from Scotland.
Despite juggling between his job in the engineering sector and his growing chicken business, he decided to engage in politics in 1957.
He was subsequently elected as a member of the Waterfalls Town Management Board.
In 1965, he was elected a Member of Parliament for Marlborough. He was made co- Minister of Transport and Mines with the late James Chikerema in 1978.
In 1979, he became the Minister of Agriculture during which he managed to turn around the grain production graph which was beginning to go down.
At independence he was elected Member of Parliament and chairman of the Public Accounts Committee and the following year he parted ways with Ian Smith after being accused of sympathising with the black Government led by President Mugabe.
He was one of the few white Members of Parliament who served from 1980 to 1987.
Mr Irvine, however, retired from Parliament to pursue business in agriculture, which saw Irvine’s Poultry Industries rising to where it is now.
In an interview with the Herald Business, Irvine’s chief executive, Mr David Irvine, who is William’s eldest son, said the company had humble beginnings and through hard work, Irvine’s is now one of the forces to reckon in the poultry industry.
He said his father played a pivotal role in destroying racial bridges while promoting the infrastructural development of the nation.
“During his tenure as the Minister of Local Government, my father was the brains behind the development of Chitungwiza Town and he established the first black urban council in the country.
“He managed to work with his fellows in the Government regardless of race or colour,” he said.
David said his father’s death was a great loss to the family because he played a fundamental part in unifying the family.
“Yes, he was old but the role that he continued to play even on his sick bed cannot be underestimated. He always wanted to see his family happy and he was a very caring father.”
Representing the workers, Irvine’s head of marketing Ms Misi Makuzwa said the workers were celebrating William’s great achievements, chief among them the creation of employment for over 2 000 people at Irvine’s.
“We are what we are today because of his hard work and perseverance in the establishment of what has become Zimbabwe’s largest poultry producer.
“We will forever honour him, uphold the family values that he instilled among us and cherish the legacy of the Irvine’s brand that he left for us,” she said.
Mr Irvine’s wife, Catherine, died in March 2010. He is survived by three children – David, Craig and Sandie – and six grandchildren.
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