It's about time that I finished this off rather than have it sit suspended in the drawing office.
Earlier entries provide information on the ultimate demise of Arnolds, so I won't rehash what was mentioned in those, and Peter Gregory's information very effectively covers the life and death of the company.
So all I want to say in this last entry is that I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Arnolds and my subsequent years in the elevator industry with Otis.
When it was all over, I had accumulated almost 30 years (29 years and 4 months) in the business, with my career starting as an apprentice electrician and ending as a regional manager.
We experienced things and working conditions which could not exist today under current Health & Safety legislation yet it was all just normal to us. There is an oft-used cliche which says "it was a more innocent time" - well, it wasn't "innocent", just different because that was then and today is now. You can't judge the past on what you know today.
I hope that this blog stays available on the Blogger server for ever......it is a collection of personal historical information and anecdotes and that's exactly what history is made up of. Maybe my young grandchildren will have the opportunity to browse it one day - I hope so.
Regards to everyone who I knew and worked with and whose names form part of my indelible memories. Thank you for being there.
Hi Matey, Always interested in your posts on Arnold's. Although my time in the industry was nowhere yours, I too enjoyed my time there. I particularly remember the Thursday night's overtime in the drawing office. It was dark, and the atmosphere in the building was almost "creepy" really quite atmospheric; likewise when I was up the street at the Fabrication shop. For some reason that is not always evident now there was a closeness between all the staff, almost like a big happy family. As John Inglis once noted, we had more than the average of "twenty yearers" which indicates a certain family atmosphere as well as company loyalty. I went on to other things most of which I also enjoyed such as being a Commonwealth Chauffer. Now in the twilight years I can look back in great satisfaction at the way my working life unfolded.
ReplyDeleteKeep well and safe Bruce, and may we all have more years ahead.
Bob Deahm
Thanks, Rob....not just for your comments above but also for being a major player in getting the 2005 reunion up and running......and also for being a good friend over the past almost-20 years.
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