It is with much regret that I make this post to advise that Tom Moffatt died just a few days ago, on March 5th.
I was informed by his daughter Carol, who sent me an email, received yesterday evening.
Tom - or as he was often addressed, "Tommy" - was my first boss.
I joined Arnold Elevator Services as an apprentice electrical mechanic in February of 1964 - that's 52 years ago last month - and Tom was the Service Supervisor.
My immediate "boss" was Brian Baxter and we did a maintenance run in the city, which included a job called Mercantile Mutual, just off Martin Place and backed by Angel Place.
There were lots of other buildings on our run but that place sticks in my mind because it was where I nearly killed Brian during my first week at work; but that's another story.
This was in the days when ALL the lift company men working in the city used to have morning tea in the cafeteria of the Coles store in King Street.
If you walked into that place between 9:30 and 10:30 AM every weekday then you would have found all the maintenance mechanics across the various companies, big and small.
Tom would come in on a Thursday morning at morning-tea time with the pay-packets (little brown envelopes with actual cash inside!) and would usually have a cuppa and a chat with everyone before continuing his rounds.
I don't have a photograph of Tom......he didn't attend the reunion in 2005 and I have nothing from his life at Arnold's. I don't even know how long he worked there, when he commenced or when he finished.
But I do remember that he was a nice bloke and it was easy for a lowly apprentice to talk with him.
I don't ever recall him being "snappy" but I do remember him laughing a lot.
And that's a nice way to remember someone who was an important part of your life.
