An electrician by trade, Adrian first came to the College as a sub-contractor working on the new David Rae Smith building in 1998. Over the years he was involved in other projects, including J and K Socials, and in 2014 joined the College’s Maintenance team full-time.
I always enjoyed working at Radley and joining the Maintenance team was a new challenge – it was fun, full-on and always very busy, being at the end of a radio and responding to the next emergency. However, I loved working across so many different departments, meeting staff and getting to know their families.
In 2019 I was doing some work for Maintenance in the Design Engineering department. It was always one of my favourite places to be, I used to love it when I got called to fix something there as engineering is my background. When I found out about the technician vacancy I joked about applying for the job. I was apprehensive as the advert gave a preference for a teaching background and up until then my contact with the boys had been limited to fixing things in Socials!
However, I was offered the job and started in September 2019. It was a new thing for me to learn how to instruct people in how to use the machines. Robin (Johnson, Head of Design Engineering) was brilliant and of course, Ben Holden (former Sub-Warden and teacher of Design Engineering) – what a privilege to work with the legend that is BJH! I look after the workshop on a Sunday and spent many afternoons with Ben while he was tinkering on various projects.
What skills did you have to learn for your current role?
When I first started, I undertook Health & Safety training on all the machines. This training is the same practical training that the dons have which allows the technicians to reinforce the teaching given to the boys. I’d never welded before so Graham (Smith, former Design Engineering Technician) taught me how to weld.
Tell us about what your day-to-day job entails.
I ensure boys are using the tools in the workshop as safely as possible. The workshop can be a dangerous environment so safety is our priority. One of the main things I do is tell boys every two minutes to put their safety glasses back on!
Will Sumner (Lead Technician) and I set up ahead of lessons, making sure all the materials are ready to go and the tools are to hand. We order in materials and make sure boys working on individual projects keep to a reasonable budget, guiding them on alternative materials that might be more cost effective or easier to work with.
It’s a popular subject, with 60 boys taking the subject at GCSE this year and 13 at A-Level. The subject is compulsory for Shells. They work on a project where they design a cable car and then get it to travel as fast as possible from one end of the workshop to the other. This project always gets the imaginations whirring and boys like to spend time in the workshop on Sundays honing their cable cars when they can benefit from more
one-to-one time.
I work closely with Diane Ritchie and Emma Tamlyn, the Electronics Technicians. We recently designed a new 3D printing lab together which we hope will able to run the production line of models smoothly.
What stand-out projects spring to mind?
I’ve seen some great projects over the years, from an electric motorbike to a trailer for transporting a motorbike, an electric guitar and a display unit for a cycle shop. An engine hoist for outboard motors is now in operation down at the Boathouse and a ramp is in situ at the entrance to The Bowyer’s Arms. The determination, skill and accomplishment that boys demonstrate is really incredible.
What makes Radley a special place to work?
One word really – community. I’ve got to know so many people over the years I’ve worked here in the various capacities. And this department is the big draw, I love what we can achieve because we have such amazing resources. I feel supported by colleagues which is important to me. It’s hard to put it into words, but Radley is different and very special.
What would you pick as a highlight of your time here?
The highlight for me was being offered my current role – it really felt like I had landed my dream job.
What might we find you doing away from work?
You’ll find me using the lathe to turn wood; I’ve made vases, bowls and a couple of lamps which I wired up. It’s good to keep up to date with using the machinery and share my passion for design with the boys. Over the years I’ve helped to set up and run a radio control car club and a model flying club, both of which have been good fun.
