Bob Wearmouth

When Bob Wearmouth was at the Railway Workshops, their in-house motto was "The impossible we do immediately. Miracles take a little longer". It’s a motto that he still applies in his retirement role of machining up parts for the Australian Railways Historical Society.

Bob began his apprenticeship as a fitter and machinist in 1945 with the Ministry of Munitions at the Welshpool Small Arms Ammunition factory. After the War, he was re-employed as an apprentice mechanical fitter, initially in the heavy repair section at Midland Junction, working on various steam locomotives, cranes and, later, on diesel engines.

One of his first memories of working on cranes was clinging onto the end of an out of control 50 foot high jib for a coaling stage at Wongan Hills, after his trade assistant accidentally knocked a hinge pin out.

He survived and went on to assemble some of the Railway’s largest imported cranes, but it was a lesson in safety that he remembered in his later role as an Examiner and a Technical Education Lecturer. He started teaching at what was then called Midland Technical School in 1965.

After several stints in other Technical Schools, he returned to Midland as Senior Lecturer in 1985 to oversee the setting up of the new Fitting and Machining centre. Since he has retired he has retained a link with the College through a midweek night class where he tackles whatever machining jobs his hobby might require .

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