Yes, today is a milestone for me. At 0730 WST on the 2nd September 1972 I commenced my life in the rail industry. It was a Wednesday that I went to the Forrestfield wagon repair depot of the West Australian Government Railways and applied for a job as anything they had on offer.
I had got fired from my previous job for questioning my manager's decision. Not a good career move.
Anyway on Wednesday the 1st September 1972 I applied for a job, any job, at the WAGR. They asked me when I could start. I said when ever it suited them. They said to be there at 0730 the next morning, which was a Thursday.
I started out as a labourer doing this and that and very little else. I went from being a labourer, to a wagon repairer, to wagon examiner, to train guard, to trainee engine-man, to train driver. That little lot took me 22 and a half years.
In March 1995 I resigned from Westrail, as it became known, to take up employment with National Rail Corporation at Kalgoorlie. I was at Kalgoorlie for the next 6 years, working as a train driver and later as a Driver Trainer.
At the end of April 2001, I resigned from National Rail Corporation and on 25th June 2001 commenced with Connex, soon to be Metro, driving suburban trains around greater Melbourne.
Where do I go from here? Retirement, hopefully, in about 10 years time.
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