urban supervisor Paul Sullivan. ▪ Photo contributed
Cobar Shire Council farewelled one of their longest serving employees last week when Darrell Turner retired after 44½ years of service.
Mr Turner was farewelled with a staff luncheon last Thursday where he was presented with a parting gift and a plaque with a ride-on lawn mower to remind him of his time at council.
He began working as a labourer at the shire in December 1971 at the age of 16 and was in charge of the care and maintenance of Ward Oval until his retirement last week.
Apart from a couple of years working at Drummond Park and at other council owned parks, Mr Turner spent most of his working life taking care of Ward Oval.
He said he was pleased to see improvements made to the facility over his 44 years.
“The sporting bodies and the show society did a lot of work over the years and we always worked well together,” Mr Turner told The Cobar Weekly.
Mr Turner was known for going “above and beyond” to ensure the facility was always presented in its best light and, upon his retirement, the show society presented Mr Turner with Life Membership to acknowledge his efforts.
Mr Turner said he had liked his job and was pleased that the complex was enjoyed by many members of the community.
He said his biggest challenge over the years had been with water (or a lack of it) during times of drought and when they had problems with the watering systems.
Mr Turner said he decided to retire as everyone around his age was starting to retire and thought he should take some time to enjoy doing nothing.
“I haven’t really decided yet what I will do with my spare time, maybe do up my front yard and work on the house,” he said.
“I think I’m going to relax.”
