Gerry O’Rourke – A tribute

In December 2024, the team at IFG Drake lost a very special former colleague, Gerry O’Rourke.

Having worked for the company since the late 1970s, Gerry had IFG in his veins, and will be sorely missed by his colleagues and friends.

Former colleagues Andy Wilkinson and Paul Briggs shared some of their memories and insights into Gerry.

“Gerry initially worked for Plasticisers (IFG’s old name) and then transferred to Plasticisers Engineering. He moved to Emerson & Renwick when Plasticisers Engineering was sold to them.  Following redundancy from Emerson & Renwick Gerry had a spell at home, before John Parkinson at Drake Extrusion Inc., USA offered him a temporary post, which lasted 10 years! Gerry was instrumental in the installation and commissioning of machines at Drake Extrusion prior to their start up in the mid 1990s. He came back to IFG Drake, Drighlington in 2001 and stayed with us until his retirement on 30th September 2022.”

“Gerry was always happy to pass on his extensive experience and knowledge – there wasn’t much he didn’t know about process and extrusion, yet he would always kindly share his wisdom to train and advise the wider members of the team. Even after his retirement he was always available to give help and advice on the end of the phone if it was needed, especially helping with the move from Drighlington to Golcar, advising the new Maintenance Manager and helping where he could, firefighting where it was needed to ensure the smooth amalgamation of the two sites.”

In addition to his stint in the US, Gerry also represented the company overseas in other areas, visiting Iran, China, India, Turkey and Poland throughout his career.

“Initially employed as an electrician, Gerry moved through the ranks to Electrical Engineer, and then prior to his retirement was Maintenance Manager of IFG Drake. In his spare time he was a classic car enthusiast and had a very distinctive vintage yellow mini which could often be seen parked outside IFG. He was also passionate about rescuing donkeys, something he kept very quiet, and loved his dogs and a pint at his local pub. Having come over from Ireland in the 1970s, he also enjoyed a trip to his homeland.”

“He loved Plasticisers so much that it was mentioned in his eulogy – the priest struggled to pronounce it which raised a smile!”

“Gerry was just a really good bloke” said Andy. “We all miss him”.

RIP Gerry, thank you for everything, from all of your friends and colleagues at IFG.