LARRY Walter was the third generation of men in his family to become a Queensland Rail worker. He had always wanted to work on the railways, and after completing his apprenticeship as a carpenter, be began working as a wagon builder at the Ipswich Railway Workshops in 1968. “I enjoyed turning nothing into something,” he said. “If you work with wood it stays in your blood, like the railways.” When Larry started work, steam was being phased out in favour of diesel electrics and electric trains. “You had to go from working with wood to steel,” he said. “I started on camp wagons, then carriages, then moved to the erecting shop as sub-foreman and then as a storeman.” Larry retired in 1999 and became a volunteer at the Workshops Rail Museum in 2002. He is just one of the former workers and Workshops volunteers looking forward to the annual Workers Reunion and Ipswich Family Open Day on August 22. It’s a great opportunity to catch up on gossip with old workmates and share stories of times gone by. Sponsored by Ipswich City Council and Queensland Rail, entry to the reunion is free for past and present Queensland Rail workers and Ipswich residents on presentation of identification. Details on 3432-5100, www.theworkshops.qm.qld.gov.au
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