Today marks a monumental day for my family.
After 35 plus years of hard graft, manual work, long hours and torturous commutes to work, my Dad is
finally retiring. And I am completely delighted and immensely proud of him as
he reaches the end of his working life.
For as long as I have known, my Dad has
left for work before the day breaks, and has returned after nightfall. Most
days have seen him stuck in traffic for hours on the horrific M25 motorway,
travelling to film studios located on the other side of London. Often
throughout our childhood, Dad would get a job which resulted in many weeks and
months working abroad. Ireland, Turkey, Russia, Kenya, Tenerife to name just a
few locations. Dad sacrificed spending time with us in order to bring home as
much as he could, to provide a great life for my mum, my sister and I.
As a father myself, I understand the
sacrifice. He could have had an easy life and worked the 9-5, but he wanted
more for us. And I am eternally grateful. As I mentioned in a post from a few
months back, A Letter To My Dad we have wanted him to slow down for some time.
When people have asked over the years, what
my Dad does for work, my response was always that he worked in Films and
Television. This would usually lead to the person I am talking to thinking that
it was a very glamorous role. But Dad’s part in the industry certainly wasn’t the
glitz and glamour others assume it to be. A carpenter by trade, my Dad has been
a Construction Manager on many huge film and tv blockbusters over the years. Often,
Dad and his team are the first people to arrive to start work and are the last
to leave. They are there on the project long before the cameras start rolling,
and then long after to strike the set. Often they are not credited for the work
they have completed on the film, and often neglected from screening
invitations. At times in his career he might have felt underappreciated, but as
a family, we hugely appreciate what he has done.
That is not to say that he hasn’t enjoyed
his career. He will no doubt look back and smile, as he had some really good
times and worked with a good group of people. He had a core group who he would
hire whenever he was chosen to lead a new project. His two brothers, his best
friend, and a core group of reliable guys that he could trust to get the job
done to a high standard. But for him, losing his best friend to cancer last
year had a real knock on effect. The enjoyment he had from his best friends
company was no longer with him at work. Dad’s tiredness had started to show, but
now he can look forward to the rest of his life without having to work. But there
is no doubt, and knowing the man he is, he will be working non stop in and
around the home, and will be looking for a short term job back in the film game
in the months to come.
I hope he can use this time to relax and
enjoy spending time with mum. They should go on holiday to their dream
locations, do all the things which were not possible during the past 35+ years,
and enjoy each other. Enjoy their retirement
years and make memories. Today is the day you stop working and start living!
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| A small selection of some of the movies / TV programmes that my Dad has worked on over his long career. |
