Originally posted by Gwaihir
Yes Paddy, I met Joyce many times, after he started the company, and at AGMs and other events.
In fact, at the first AGM it was virtually only me and him and a couple of buddies attending. We had a relaxed fun time in the city.
Mr Joyce was treated shabbily by the BGS shareholders who ousted him.
He was very passionate about BGS, and was a quiet man, not given to promoting himself like some others do, and he would not have wasted tens of millions of dollars like the new (now prior) board did, or given excessive numbers of jobs to mates who may not have been qualified.
The last board is now looking increasingly opportunistic and greedy, who saw an opportunity to strip a company of it's cash reserves for their own lifestyles (first class and business class tickets) - this is evidenced by the way they resigned, and refused to invest in BGS. I have no respect now for any of them, and their names have been added to my black-list of company directors (which is getting quite long).
It is true that the Malian government ministers and administrators liked Mr Joyce, in fact, they liked his quiet thoughtful unassuming nature, and willingness to work with them in a calm peaceful way, without any arrogance.
This is apparently in contrast to the board that was just thrown out. I'm told the Malian government wanted to check everything they did, because some of the board were a bit abrasive in their contacts.
Most HC posters completely bagged me when I voted to keep Joyce, so I went quiet, because it's difficult to tell other people about someone when they've never met them, or mixed with them over time.
HC posters just don't believe you, they get caught up in the emotion and sentient, rather than the honest reality, and they are generally ruthless, and don't often give people the benefit of the doubt. There are a lot of argumentative types on HC, thankful for the anonymity, and hiding behind it.
Some would say that BGS shareholders have been given what they deserve, but I don't know. All I know is that there have been a couple of good people previously as BGS directors along the way, who have been subsequently hurt by people who never knew them, or what they were really trying to do.
It's been so sad, this journey, and was far more enjoyable back in the day, when we only had 3 or 4 regular friendly posters.
Gw
Great post! I never meet Mr Joyce, but I always had a feeling somehow that he was exceptional and that helped inform my early investing into the company.
I think it would be fantastic if he were bought back into the company - it is entirely because of him that we have our current projects.
(20min delay)