Fifty years as a mechanic isn’t a bad achievement. Crookwell local Cecil Cady, has just clocked over the 50 years in June, having started with G&M Rowe as an apprentice mid-year 1967.
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This came as he and his good friend Billy Bensley were turfed out of school in third-form, for reasons Cady is still trying to work out to this day. He told the Gazette, “Bob Barnett went around the business houses in Crookwell trying to get us jobs. “He was successful, I landed a job with G&M Rowe and my friend Bill starting with Sid Davies Building.
Cady, otherwise fondly known as ‘Bad Cat’, remembers his start date well. “I was paid cash up to the end of June. “a whole two weeks at $14 a week.” He turned 65 on February 14 this year, and remembers at 14 years-old decimal currency changed [1966]. This was 12-months prior to when he started as a mechanic in 1967.
Cecil has had five bosses with his first, G&M Rowe for two years. The second, SJ Osborne and Son for 17-years and then worked for the partnership of Bob Spackman and Barry Jamieson. Fourth boss, Barry Jamieson after Bob passed away, and now with a changeover in the business, Brad Jamieson will be his fifth.
Variances between old and new vehicles is favoured with Cady as he said, “whenever a Subaru with a carby comes in, “I get a call up.”
One accident he remembers has stuck in his mind and he wants to share the yarn. The handbrake failed on an old landcruiser he was working on, rolling down the back ramp and into the business owners’ Valiant station wagon and a his new Haines Hunter boat. “It smashed one end to the other. I went up and packed my tools as I thought then - it was all over.”
On his non-working days he runs his sheep and cattle property at Taralga. On the thought of retirement he said, “some of our regulars have come in and said to me, ‘i thought you’d retired,’ but I answer this with, ‘no just tired’. That’s why I have battled a few times getting to work on Mondays”.
His advice to youth, “Even though it’s all high tech now, it’s still a great avenue for a career. If you like computers and don’t mind getting your hands dirty - it’s the job for you.”