Some people boast that they love their jobs so much, they’d do it for nothing.

But when Don Axford gushes about his lifelong love of the oilpatch, the words don’t come out hollow.

Axford is the geologist for Endless Energy, a company run by his son Jon Axford, and he does that job for nothing. “I’m his geologist with no pay,” pipes Don Axford, a merry twinkle in his eyes.

The distinguished oilpatch veteran, who pioneered east-coast offshore exploration during a 28-year career with Mobil Oil, still gets a kick out of the exploration game. His office desk is strewn with colourful geological maps. “It’s like a game of poker,” says the dapper 80-year-old, who is also chairman of Canadian Superior Energy and president of D.W. Axford and Associates.

Larry MacDougal, Business Edge
Colourful geologist Don Axford still gets a kick out of the exploration game after 53 consecutive years in the business.

Axford, a Winnipeg native, has toiled in the oilpatch for 53 consecutive years and still manages to take care of business without a computer in his office.

1. What are your memories of a boyhood in Winnipeg?

“We lived on Furby Street in a home that had been built by my grandfather in 1890. We went through the 1929 bust, the 1930s’ Depression, the start of the war, the war and then the exuberance after the war. You learned how to live on very little. Bread was four cents. I sold empty tins of lard for 10 cents. You could go down to the local movie theatre for 10 cents. I could buy a gallon of buttermilk for five cents.”

2. What did your father do?

“He was a lawyer but then he went into the photograph business because he was so impressed with that and he went broke in ’29. He never recovered. I think we today are absolutely fortunate for what we have.”

3. What did your service in the Royal Canadian Navy do for you?

“The experience in the navy made me sure that I had confidence and could handle any situation. Yeah, it was a character builder. I served in convoy duty (in the Second World War as a petty officer) between St. John’s, Newfoundland, and Ireland. We did think we sunk one submarine and at the end of the war I had the great joy of being in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Submarines were told to report to the nearest warship and two submarines come into Ireland with us. Now that was quite the feeling. Here were the things you’d been looking for and there they were. I had three brothers and all four of us served in the war. I enrolled in the Navy two years before the war. It was the thing to do then.”

4. After more than half a century in the oil and gas industry, you’re still going strong. What is it about this business that captivates you?

“I love people, I love the business, I love the business because of the adventurous risks that you have to take and the gambling nature of it. I just love being a part of this whole continuing venture. I have had the great opportunity throughout my career to meet and work with some of the greats of the petroleum industry and that includes a stint in New York where I met the chairman of Mobil Oil worldwide, a fellow by the name of (Albert) Nickerson.”

5. Who has had the greatest influence on your career?

“It was probably Joseph Spivak who was the exploration manager (for Mobil) here in Canada when I started with them in 1948. I’ve also met world-famous geologists like Louis Weekes, Philip King, John Mooney and others. Each of them have rubbed things on me much to my benefit. You meet thousands of people in the industry and I loved them all.”

6. What were the early days of exploration like?

“I’ll give you an example. We once took a boat up to Dawson Creek (B.C.) in a truck, we trucked it up to Fort Nelson, B.C., at Fort Nelson we put it in the Muskwa River, then down the Nelson River to the Liard, then down the Liard to the McKenzie River and down the McKenzie to the Arctic Ocean. We spent more time coming and going than we ever did with geology.”

7. How do you reflect on your 28 years with Mobil Oil?

“Marvellous. Marvellous. I just love Mobil and I’m very loyal to them to this day. I took early retirement. It was great training and a great experience. I’d recommend it to anyone, to work with a major company.”

8. What’s the most dramatic change in the oil and gas industry?

“After Leduc (discovery) in 1947 until somewhere in the 1960s, the companies were exploration-oriented and geologists were pre-eminent in the administration and the functions of the company. But then it switched and became engineers (in charge) and then it switched and became accountants. So today it’s about the bottom line. It’s an aggressive adventure to have a good bottom line, take over other companies and poor, old geologists have sunk in the hierarchy. But in my opinion they (geologists) are absolutely necessary.”

9. Have you changed your approach with the changing times?

“I’ve stayed the same. I’ll play a tough game. I’ll always be absolutely straight-forward. I’m old-fashioned. My word is a bond. And nowadays, you can hardly even trust contracts with some companies. With me, integrity comes first.”

10. What is happiness to you?

“Happiness is when you get your children married to people you like. My wife (Ruth) and I have four children and they all live in Calgary and it’s wonderful. My daughter Janet Halls recently retired from Petro-Canada, my son Jon is just down the hall, running Endless Energy. Robert is an architect. And Eric works at Suncor Energy (in business development). Ruth and I just had our 50th wedding anniversary.”

11. What’s it like working alongside your son?

“One of my friends had said: ‘You don’t want to do that, you’ll never get along with a son working with you.’ But we’ve worked very compatibly to this date. Jon was going to go into law, but I told him to come with with me. And he so liked the industry, he stayed.”

12. So retirement is not a word in your vocabulary?

“Nope. I’m 80 but I don’t usually let people know that because I like people to think I’m a little younger than I am. But at least I can claim that I have a lot of experience. There are several of us (in Calgary) who have been around a long time that are still working. I work every day, from 10 a.m. to 5 or 5:30. Sometimes it’s a terrible trial, but I’ve learned to cope with that. I’m not going to get high blood pressure over anything.”

13. What has it been like working alongside the controversial Greg Noval (Canadian Superior CEO) since becoming the company’s chairman last fall? “He is the hardest working fellow I have ever met. He has taken that company from a startup to an asset value of over $100 million and, besides our production in Western Canada, we also have a very fine project in offshore Nova Scotia.”

14. Do you expect Canadian Superior’s bid for Canadian 88 Energy to be successful despite the 88 board’s recent rejection of the offer?

“(Grinning) We think we might win.”

15. What achievement are you most proud of from your career in the oilpatch?

“The achievement I’m most widely recognized for was starting the industry’s exploration in offshore east coast and for that I’ve received a gold medal from the (Canadian Association of Petroleum Geologists).”

16. What’s the secret to your longevity?

“One, genes. Two, all the work that I did climbing in the mountains and getting good health. Three, no smoking. I smoked cigars for a while, but without inhaling. Four, an enthusiasm for life. Five, exercise and good food. For the first time ever, I’ve thought of slowing down to work four-day weeks this summer. I might do that but I think I’ll work until my health doesn’t allow me to.”

17. How’s your golf game?

“I’m the world’s worst golfer and pay about $2,000 a game — I’ve played for 50 years and play about 10 games a year — but I love it. I’m a member of Earl Grey (Golf Club). I used to downhill ski but I’ve given that up.”

18. God taps you on the shoulder and says you can change one thing in your life?

“I think the one thing I would change is that I would get smarter earlier.”

19. How much importance do you place on giving back to the community?

“I love to contribute to society and I say that without hesitation. That might sound like apple pie but I do believe that. I think if you’re capable of contributing, you should contribute.”

20. If you could do one thing to improve the quality of life in Calgary, what would that be?

“What I’d like to do is have my friend — not my friend — Mr. Ralph (Premier Klein) build a first-class, top-level medical centre like the Mayo Clinic where they tore this bloody thing (General Hospital) down and have this world-class facility available to everyone in the system. (He pounds his desktop three times). With all the wealth from the oil and gas industry, we’ve got the money in this province to do it now.”

IN PROFILE: Don Axford

* Born/raised/age: Winnipeg, Man., 80.

* Titles: President, D.W. Axford and Associates; chairman, Canadian Superior Energy; geologist, Endless Energy.

* Education: Bachelor of Science, University of Manitoba.

* Family: Wife Ruth, daughter Janet Halls, sons Jon, Robert and Eric.

* Resume: Axford began his career as a geologist with Mobil Oil Corp. in 1948, eventually becoming vice-president in charge of exploration for Mobil Oil Canada and took early retirement after 28 years. He has also worked for Petro-Canada as vice-president of exploration and has been president of his own company, D.W. Axford and Associates, since 1977.

* Awards: Axford has received a gold medal from the Canadian Association of Petroleum Geologists for his outstanding contribution to petroleum development in the Canadian offshore Atlantic and a distinguished service award from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.

* Passions: Golf, gardening.

THE COMPANY: Canadian Superior Energy

* Brass: Greg Noval, president/CEO; Don Axford, chairman.

* Focus: The junior oil and gas company recently made a $600-million takeover bid for Canadian 88 Energy.

* Recent stock price (SNG-TSE): $1.55.

* Web site: www.cansup.com

* Address: 3300, 400 3rd Ave. S.W., Calgary, AB T2P 4H2.

* Phone/Fax: 294-1411, 216-2374.