Shrewsbury mechanic's farewell to an amazing career
Shrewsbury man Maurice Gallagher never imagined he would be building wind tunnels and repairing naval guns and army equipment when he first trained as a car mechanic.
But that is exactly what he's been doing over the past 57 years – and all while working at the Shrewsbury branch of Stadco in Harlescott Lane.
Bosses at Stadco, the UK's largest independent international supplier of automotive products and services, held a farewell ceremony for Mr Gallagher who has hung up his tool bag for the last time last week.
He was born in County Down, Northern Ireland, in 1933, and started work at the Shrewsbury site in February 1956. At the time it operated as the Chatwood Safe Company, which had moved to the area in the 1920s.
While working for the Chatwood Safe Company, Mr Gallagher worked on a diverse range of projects, including installing safes for the Midland Bank in Birmingham and Cardiff, as well as working on government contracts.
In 1958, when the company was known as Hall Engineering Limited, it began to undertake work for the Admiralty. During this time, Mr Gallagher's work ranged from repairing naval guns and Army equipment to helping in the construction of a wind tunnel in Bedford.
Since 1996, Mr Gallagher, who originally trained as a motor mechanic, has been working part-time at Stadco's Shrewsbury site on the company's car fleet, checking and preparing the pool cars.
He said he had really enjoyed his time in the industry but was looking forward to having more free time when he retires.
"I remember with pride all the different jobs I undertook and the incredible amount of skill everyone had, which remains within the company today," he said.
Greg MacLeod, CEO of Stadco Automotive Ltd, said: "We are proud to recognise Maurice's dedicated and long service to our business."
