A car mechanic in Dorset has been given a fond farewell having announced he is hanging up his spanner after 45 years of work for the same garage.
Bob Turpin, 64, signed up to become an apprentice mechanic in Devon when he left school. Then, in 1971, he joined the English Ford car garage at Tower Park, where he has remained until this month.
Mr Turpin suffered a stroke in June last year, which caused him to lose his sight in one eye, while his colleagues - covered by the business' road risks insurance policy - began doing any driving required on his behalf, the Bournemouth Echo reported.
Now, however, the mechanic has decided to call it a day and enter retirement. And as he prepares for the next stage of his life, Mr Turpin has promoted the important role of apprentices to get young people to enter the motor trade industry.
He said: “Apprenticeships show how a person’s skills can be brought out when they are not academic and they should be used a lot more now so that skills can be passed on.
“Support from my first employer, with five years of training, led to my 45 years at English Ford, which has seen five different owners in the time I have been here."
He added: "We had a Model T Ford when I joined and we have another one now since Foray Motor Group took over, but cars these days are a bit more advanced.”
