Rousay road worker retires after 42 years’ service with the Council

A road worker who helped maintain the highways in almost all areas of Orkney at some point during his 42-year career with the Council has retired.

Stevie Inkster, from Rousay – where he has worked for most of the four plus decades – received an OIC plaque and gifts from colleagues, Roy Foubister, Jim Leask and Billy Allan recently to mark the occasion.

Stevie had left Orkney as a young man and was working as a rig supplier in Aberdeen but was missing his home island.

He was 22 when he returned to Rousay for what was meant to be a holiday.

“I was looking for something to do and got some work helping the late Jimmy Marwick who was the foreman at the time doing some patching and general road maintenance. I had been in Aberdeen for a year or so, but I was homesick. After a few weeks I was offered a full-time job and the rest is history!

“When I first started, Jimmy’s dad had a peedie 35 tractor with no cab and a trailer on the back that we used for ‘gritting’. We would watch the forecast for Scotland on TV the night before and if it was going to be frosty we would head out. In preparation for winter, we would go down to the shore and load piles of sand onto the side of the road – it was very labour intensive as you can imagine so only the steepest bit of any brae was given a covering of sand and then grit on top to stop it blowing away.

“There was very little communication between the Mainland office and ourselves – we just got on with the job and you were really your own boss. When the ro-ro ferry came in 1989 that made a huge difference to the job in regards to machinery and supplies getting to us whenever it was needed.”

The arrival of the ro-ro meant folk could commute to work on the Mainland and in 2000 Stevie was put through his HGV licence and tasked to help with resurfacing works across Orkney.

“I got round almost all the isles at some point too. I think the only ones I didn’t get to were North Ronaldsay and Graemsay. I really enjoyed that and it was grand meeting all the isles folk.”

Stevie, 64, has been responsible for all manner of road maintenance works covering Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre.

It was a job with very high levels of satisfaction, Stevie continued, often receiving messages of thanks and compliments from isles residents about the standard of his works.

While he may be retired, Stevie won’t be giving up the time he spends on the road – with plans to travel and make the most of his motorbikes.

“I’m mechanically minded and have a big shed out here when you will find me most of the time now.

Interim Head of Roads, Fleet and Waste, Lorna Richardson, said: “We thank Stevie for his long service and dedication to the job for more than 40 years, which is something really quite special. While we wish Stevie the very best in his well-deserved retirement, we will of course, miss his experience and knowledge gained by living in the area to which he has worked for so long.”