THE head of Westport’s container services, Lt Col (R) Vincent Lim, has carved a colourful career by defying the odds.

Not one to shy away from challenges, Lim believes in saying ‘yes’ to everything and in accomplishing whatever he sets out to do.

”I think this stems from the training I received in the army. If I had not joined the armed forces, I don’t think I’d be as disciplined as I am today,’’ he said.

Lim, 55, first defied expectations when he joined the army in 1963.

“In those days, almost everyone I knew was going into the civil service but I wanted to do something different.”

He ended up spending 29 years as a military man, working his way up from a cadet to logistics officer.

“The army was exciting and adventurous and I appreciated and enjoyed all that it offered me.“However, after almost 30 years, I wanted to do something different.“I wanted to explore and expand my skills and do something different.

“I opted for early retirement and joined the manufacturing industry, which I knew absolutely nothing about,” said Lim who hails from Johor Baru.After two years in manufacturing, Lim decided to spread his wings once again.

”When I decided to quit, my boss asked me why I wanted to leave manufacturing for the port industry, which I knew next to nothing about.“I told him, ‘I also knew nothing about the manufacturing industry, but I survived.’

“Everyone who joined Westport then was very green. The only thing that kept us going was our desire to succeed,” he recalled.Lim said his years as a soldier proved useful when he was able to get some men from the army to help with the construction of Westport’s terminal.

”I believe in leadership by example. To ensure that you gain the confidence and respect of the people you work with, you must be prepared to go to the ground and get your hands dirty with them, in rain or shine.“This was what the army taught me, and I adapted this practice at Westport,” he said.

He still recalls the time the terminal pioneers were engaged in their first meeting to start the container terminal. “That meeting was in November 1995 and we were expecting a vessel to berth in March 1996. We had four months to make sure that everything was in working order to ensure that there would be no mishaps when the ship came in.

“We worked round the clock. I used a lot of my army training during this period to make sure that everything went as smoothly as possible.“We managed to meet the deadline and the vessel berthed without incident.

“After that, we all worked extremely hard to persuade shipping lines, forwarding agents and hauliers to come to Westport.“Initially, they all regarded the terminal as being at the end of the world because Pulau Indah is a fair distance from the rest of Port Klang,” said Lim.

If I were to pinpoint the one toughest moment in my whole career, it would be the early days of being in Westport, trying to get shipping lines to come here.“But, having been trained in the army that anything is possible, the delivery had to be done. That we did and I am proud to have been a part of the endeavour,” he added.

Lim is married to Doris Chang, a 47-year-old nurse, and they have two daughters, aged 20 and 18. When not working, he plays golf with clients to get better acquainted with them.