Thank you Barry, you've been amazing!

At the end of last month we said goodbye to our longstanding work colleague, Barry Cook. 

After nearly 50 years of service at Richard Western as a Factory Operative it was time for Barry to ‘hang up his boots’ and begin a well-earned retirement. 

Barry joined the team at just 16 years old and became a well-respected and experienced fabricator. 

He became the ‘go to’ person at Westerns for the build of prototype machinery and could always be relied on for valuable feedback and insight on how a design could be improved to aid the manufacturing/assembly process.

Barry built many of the jigs that the factory uses in the production of the standard ranges of equipment. His meticulous precision regarding dimensions meant every Richard Western product built on the jigs finished the production line to perfection. 

Over the years Barry was able to assist many new starters with the art of welding and fabrication. He taught them how to get the best out of their welding machines and how to make allowances for the effect of heat as an assembly is welded together.

Barry was responsible for the build of many of the unusual and one-off machines that the company built over the years. Machines that he built would quite often have been exported to other countries including Australia, Africa, Japan, New Zealand etc.

He distinctly remembers two questions from his interview, one was ‘can you use a tape measure?!?’ and the other was ‘when can you start?!?’

Thank you for everything you've given to Richard Western Barry and wishing you and your family all the very best for the future.