Editorial

Editorial nº 88

Editorial

It is the first time I'm at the computer to write the editorial of a magazine, Tecnología del Cuero (Leather Technology), which I have read for many years. I had never written an editorial before.

I never imagined that I would occupy the Presidency of our Association and therefore I’m deeply grateful to everyone who trusted me to do this. I hope and wish to do my job as AAQTIC needs.

Unlike most professionals of my generation, I started working at a tannery that produced 3000 hides monthly, with constant investments for growth.
At that time, Dr Stephen Tzicas was an External Tannery Advisor and was responsible for joining me to the staff.

Before the end of my college career, I had tanned a few thousand hides.
My first teacher was the owner of the tannery, who could transmit me his passion for the industry. Unfortunately, he died shortly after I started working for him.
It was Dr. Tzicas who suggested me to visit AAQTIC and start attending courses to deepen my learning.

During those years, AAQTIC Board of Directors granted me a scholarships to a course at CITEC, where I had the honor of meeting all scholars and researchers of the time.
So my teachers formed me. I am a professional that came out of our beloved Argentina Association of Chemists and Technicians Leather Industry.

AAQTIC is where I could find the explanation to many questions that haunted me every day at work. I could accomplish that by attending conferences, roundtables, Conferences, Fairs, consulting the Library, Publications in Journals of other associations and above all asking other experienced professionals, who were visiting the Association at that time.
Many of them are no longer with, but they were sources of ongoing advices.

At that time, the communications were not so easy. Most experienced technicians, travelled or worked in the interior and exterior of our country and then were teaching at the new positions they occupied. But above all, there was a great spirit of camaraderie that was reflected in every meeting carried out at the headquarters of our Association.

Professional women were a few but joined smoothly to the male occupational group.
The great challenge I posed to my new position at the Association is to find the way to bring young people working in our industry to participate in AAQTIC activities, to join the Commissions and in the not too distant future, become part of the Commission Board.
Leather industry needs young professionals working alongside with those who have more experience, to develop new processes environmentally friendly, to find a solution to the problem of generation and disposal of waste, to reduce the consumption of water and energy for each hide produced.

I wish young people, over the years, can remind with love and respect those who were your teachers, same as the professionals of my generation do.
God wants us to pass on the knowledge acquired through many years to all the technicians that continue working in our beloved industry.

A profession that we learned at the bottom of the machines, with many sacrifices and but also many rewards. A profession that allowed us to develop, form and support a family, to know other countries and international colleagues, new techniques, new challenges.
Please send us your proposals, requirements, inquiries, ideas. There are different ways to do this : by phone, email, Facebook, skype.

We issued a survey that we need you to complete: your ideas and opinions will help us improve the way we plan and carry out AAQTIC activities, add new contents to our courses and be more efficient.

For our dear Association still standing, fulfilling the mission for which it was founded, we need each and every one of you and all everybody reading this editorial.
I want to say good bye leaving you an African proverb that adds up to the essence of this, my first Editorial "If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, do I accompanied".

Ing. Graciela Galego - President