Haynes, Eric (Eka)
18/6/1936 – 18/12/2017
Words and images from Seasol
Sadly, on Monday 18th December 2017 we lost our beloved “Eka”, owner of Seasol International.
Loving husband of Molly, and father to Lisa and Gary (dec), Eric was a true entrepreneur with a pioneering spirit.
His energy, business acumen, vision, and ethics were second to none.
Eric and Molly married when they were both 17, and after various jobs and career stops and starts, Eric decided to get out of the coal mines in Sheffield and head for a brighter future in Australia.
He was 23 when he embarked on forging a new life with Molly, and their son Gary.
He arrived in Melbourne as a professional soccer player, with talent strong enough to represent Victoria.
In the ensuing years, Eric, assisted and supported so well by Molly, created businesses, which evolved, expanded, retreated in harsh times, but were always driven by a man with contagious enthusiasm, amazing business acumen and a determination to succeed.
Eric purchased a flailing business in the mid 80’s, which had a product called Seasol, and with mountains of courage, tenacity and millions of dollars of investment turned it into the household name it is today.
We, the staff of Seasol, are indebted to Eric for his wisdom, his faith in what we do, and for our amazing family culture, which is a direct result of his standards and sense of fair play.
Eric loved celebrating success with the whole team, and whilst this year he couldn’t attend our annual function, we had a standard to live up to, a standard which will be carried on forever in his memory.
“Eka” you were our boss, our mentor, our team mate, and our friend.
We are all blessed with treasured memories which will never be forgotten.
The Seasol Team
