Profiles: Heroes, Role Models and Pioneers of Trinidad and Tobago - by Nasser Khan

119 Oil ARTHUR BEEBY-THOMPSON H e was important to the early development of our oil industry. As a geologist, Thompson came to Trinidad at the beginning of the 1900’s to look for ‘black gold’. His efforts were mainly in the Guapo area and so began the development of the Point Fortin district. In 1907 he drilled to a depth at 700 feet and found oil. It was in this area that an oil refinery started after he sold his company, Trinidad Oilfields Limited, which became Shell in 1957 and later Trinidad and Tobago Oil Company. He also drilled in other areas especially in the Fyzabad and Siparia regions. He wrote about his oil drilling in his book Oil Pioneer . WALTER DARWENT (1821-1868) A Civil engineer and oil pioneer who headed the effort that first discovered oil in Trinidad in 1866. GEORGE R. GILKES (1863-1914) H e was a surveyor who is said to have found oil in the Guayaguayare area sometime between 1897 and 1900, samples of which he took to his friend John Lee Lum who in turn gave them to Randolph Rust. He was totally against the takeover of Trinidad’s oil by foreign companies which sadly led to his downfall. HANS G. KUGLER (1893-1986) S witzerland-born, he came to Trinidad in 1913. His devotion to geology and palaeontology and the advancement and worldwide