Masakhe 02_DIGITAL PAPERTURN - Flipbook - Page 44
Bowen’s father was a mechanical
engineer at Lever Brothers, and
his mother had a degree in Social
Science and Social Work but
worked as a salaries officer at Natal
Technikon.
“She was born in Zululand, was
fluent in Zulu…. My dad was born
in Wales. He was in the Merchant
Navy in the Second World War, was
torpedoed by a German U-boat. [He]
survived… came to Durban with one
of the ships, met my mum and the
rest was history!”
Paul Bowen dreamed of becoming
a train engine driver when he was a
boy and it wasn’t until Grade 11 that
he had his heart set on the world of
construction costing and contracting.
A family friend who was a quantity
surveyor, had been seconded to the
Durban office of the firm she worked
for and arranged for Bowen to spend
holidays at the company engaged in
simple tasks.
“10 days and at the end of it
I got a ten-rand cheque, and I rushed
home and showed my parents. I was
so proud I spent every vacation after
that in that same QS office!” he says.
Bowen went on to study at
ISSUE 2
the University of Natal and
earned a BSc in Quantity Surveying
(cum laude) in 1975 and later
a Bachelor of Commerce. He would
also begin to teach at the university
he graduated from. But as a highperformer and curious mind, Paul
Bowen wanted more. He set his sights
on Edinburgh, Scotland and the
Heriot-Watt University.
“I took unpaid leave at Natal and
went and did a one-year Masters in
Construction Project Management.
I think it was wonderful experience.”
His time in Scotland cemented
his academic inclinations. Over the
years, Bowen became a productive
researcher and published papers
with near-feverish consistency,
earning him a B2-rating with the
National Research Foundation of
South Africa. His research interests
include HIV/AIDS in the South
African construction industry and
his work on the subject has not
only been restricted to construction
journals. Another key topic for him
is Workplace stress and wellbeing
of South African construction
professionals. Though, he does admit
that he did not always practice
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