Telford man retires after 50 years at defence engineering company
A Telford man who began his career as an apprentice almost 50 years ago is looking forward to a long and happy retirement after hanging up his boots.
Ronnie Poole, from Ketley Grange, retired on his 66th birthday earlier this month.
He started working at Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) – formally GKN Sankey – in 1972 as an apprentice maintenance fitter. Since then he has undertaken many different roles, including mechanical development vehicle fitter, quality control inspector, senior technical cost engineer, project engineer and finally in service support team leader.
He said: “I’ve had a great career working here at RBSL under its many guises and I’ve really enjoyed my time leading a team of engineers in the design of vehicle hull repairs and working on some major projects.
"I even met the late Duke of Edinburgh when he came to visit. I’ve also enjoyed having many apprentices working with me over the years in my role as an apprentice placement manager and it’s been fantastic to see them progress in their own careers.
“I’ve met some great people and made some really good friends for life. There’s a very skilled workforce here at RBSL and that’s so important, everyone is really dedicated to what they do.
“The reason I’ve stayed so long is because it’s enjoyable and very interesting work and if you really care about what you do, that’s half the battle. I’ve had a variety of job roles during my time here and that’s what’s made it fun and interesting, I’ve never worked on just one thing and have always been busy.”
Speaking about his plans for retirement, Mr Poole said he is looking forward to staying fit, going on walks, running, cycling and travelling.
He added: “I’ll definitely be busy, I won’t just be sitting down all day. I enjoy my fitness and I’ll be continuing to go to the gym and attending the boot camps that my daughter Lucy runs. My wife has also just retired so we will be making plans for our future together. With daughter Lauren working as a design engineer at RBSL, Mr Poole said he will be keeping track of the company’s growth and plans for the future.
“My daughter Lauren will definitely update me where she can on how work is going and I’ll be watching from afar what’s happening.
“It’s so positive to be leaving on a high when the company is growing with its Challenger 3 and Boxer programmes and I’m looking forward to seeing the next generation of apprentices and young engineers continue their careers with the company.”
