Recognition for Larne man Tom after 40 years of IRTE membership

Tom Apsley was honoured at a recent special meeting of the Ireland North Centre at Corr’s Corner Hotel, where he was presented with a certificate in recognition of 40 years membership and service to the Institute.

Summarising Tom’s career, Gerry Fleming, immediate past president of the Society of Operations Engineers, described Tom as a “real asset” to the organisation.

Tom started life in motor vehicle engineering in the 1950s as an apprentice with WG Farquhar at Narrow Gauge Road in Larne, working on a range of vehicles including Rootes Group, Vauxhall/Bedford, and milk tankers, as well as AEC and Foden lorries.

He later worked in the Ulster Transport Authority and then British Thomson-Houston in Larne.

In 1969, having gained a Full Technological Certificate in Motor Vehicle Engineering, Tom was appointed a motor vehicle studies lecturer at Dungannon Technical College, a post he was to hold until his retirement in 1999.

He joined the Institute in 1973 and remains a member to this day.

The Institute of Road Transport Engineers was founded in 1944 as a professional sector of the Society of Operations Engineers.

The organisation is designed to support members throughout their careers and encourage high standards, with an emphasis on safety and best practice. Members come from a wide variety of transport-related roles.