Bill Buckley left high school after only two years, bored and falling asleep at his desk.
The straight-talker now owns Buckley Systems, estimated to turn over $60 million this year, and this week paid $5.5 million for a house in Arney Cres, Remuera.
He developed a passion for his industry from
hanging out with his brother and their mates.
"My older brother was at university doing mechanical engineering, and I just hung around with these jokers and got to know a bit about physics. They were mucking around with particle beam acceleration," Buckley, aged 57, said casually in an interview in August.
Buckley Systems makes ion beam hardware and large electromagnets used in manufacture of silicon chips.
It supplies global giants such as IBM, Intel, Motorola and Sony.
Yet Buckley, a motorcycle enthusiast and former speedway champion who also built a world-class 500cc racing motorbike, is more likely to be found wearing a pair of blue overalls than a suit.
He started Buckley Systems in the 1970s with $25,000. Today, the low kiwi dollar and the quality of the firm's product have propelled it to world-class status.
Buckley is one of those good Kiwi blokes who's in the game for the fun rather than the money, and is reluctant to talk about himself.
He tried to keep his name out of the house deal, protesting when his identity was revealed.
The flash house is all very nice, but what keeps him a world leader in his field is the will to stay at the leading edge of technology.
