Scores of electricians took time out at NICEIC Live recently to wish industry legend Tony Cable all the best as he prepares to celebrate his 70th birthday.
Tony, who has clocked up an amazing 55 years in the trade, was presented with a surprise birthday card as the crowd sang Happy Birthday in honour of his remarkable achievement.
The touching gesture left Tony almost speechless but he did manage to thank everyone for their kind words and help throughout his career.
“It’s completely different now to when i started in 1957, but this industry has been very good to me,” said Tony, who is now Senior Marketing and Events Engineer at NICEIC.
“I can honestly say I have had a great time and enjoyed every minute of it. I have learnt something new every day and continue to do so.
“When I started out there were 20 sparks on every job and each one had an apprentice. There were jobs in factories, building sites and offices. Times have changed a bit since then but I have never had a day out of work and I am very grateful for that.”
Tony will be 70 in June. He started out as an apprentice in 1957 before later moving on to have his own contracting business. He then moved into teaching before joining NICEIC in 1988 and working on the technical helpline. He joined the marketing team in 2005 and has gone on to present a series of award winning technical DVDs.
He has also starred as technical expert on numerous TV shows including Rogue Traders, Cowboy Builders and Help My House is Falling Down.
In 2009 he was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the Electrical Times Awards.