True labor feats are achieved not only thanks to modern equipment, but above all thanks to the skill and professionalism of people. Among such masters of their craft is Alexander Vasilenko, the operator of a walking excavator at the mining shop of the Belarusian Cement Plant, who has been operating a dragline for 20 years.

Alexander Petrovich got behind the controls of the huge excavator in 2006, right after completing specialized courses in Minsk, where he was sent by the cement plant for training. For six months at the “Beluchtsentrstom” institution he acquired new knowledge on excavator operation, and then spent another four months mastering the powerful equipment in practice at the “Kommunary Zapadnye” quarry. It was there that he felt he had found his calling.

– The work captivated me from the very first days. I eagerly delved into every detail, studying the nuances of operating this powerful machinery. After all, mining equipment is like a huge, complex constructor, where each part plays an important role, – Alexander shares.

The walking excavator MZSh‑6.5/45, operated by our hero, is used in jobs where mobility is not required. And this iron giant moves across the deposit not on wheel pairs or tracks,

– The bucket of the excavator is huge, and it's impossible to notice that you're loading together with the rock, but in the dump they found a Maxim machine gun from the time of the Great Patriotic War and the remains of a Red Army soldier. Later in the city a solemn reburial of these remains took place at the mass grave in Borovets, – Alexander Vasilenko tells about the finds in the quarry. – Also among the finds are casings from artillery shells from the war time.

Having already become an excavator operator, our hero graduated part-time from the Fokin Technical School with a specialty in "mechanic for servicing agricultural equipment". Alexander knows the value of labor and word, enjoys well-deserved authority in the team, was entered on the Honor Board of BCZ according to production indicators. Among his awards are a Letter of Thanks and a Certificate of Merit from the Ministry of Architecture and Construction, and certificates from BCZ. This is the natural result of tremendous self-dedication and devoted service to his native enterprise.

Besides his beloved work, Alexander is surrounded by a loving family – wife and children. Son Artyom this year became a first-grader, and daughter Ksenia went into the seventh grade. The head of the family in his free time likes to go fishing with his son, and what captivates them is not the caught trophies, but the very process of fishing. Another favorite pastime in the Vasilenko family is bicycle rides. Everyone bought a brand-new bicycle, and they set off as a family around our district for new sensations and impressions.