Richard (Dick) Goodfellow, Fred Bunyan and Tom Robinson have worked for the Roads and Traffic Authority accumulating 109 years between them. Dick has worked on the roads for 38 years, Fred for 38 and Tom for 34.

All have taken redundancy packages as they were so close to retiring.

All started out as labourers and worked their way up to road plant operators.

Between them they have laid every new road in the Wingecarribee Shire and beyond.

Dick has been on the graders for 34 years and some of the major projects he worked on included the Aylmerton interchange, Paddy’s River, Three legged man, Black Bob’s bridge and the Hoddles crossing service centre.

They have worked on every major job from Uringalla creek to Camden including Razorback when it slipped and the Bargo bypass.

They all agree that there has been a rise in the number of travellers on the roads and the roads have kept ahead of the increase. “I can see problems occurring north of Picton in under 5 years,” said Dick.

All are looking forward to having time to themselves.

“Even when we were not at work,” said Fred, “we were always on call.”

Tom said, “I’ve never been so worried. I’m sure it will all work out all right though.”

Dick, who has lived in Mittagong all his life, met his wife at work. She has been very active at ST Vinnies and Dick will now be helping her out a little there.

He has told her to “throw away the diary and start a new one.”

HE will now have more time to spend with his family including his eighty six year old mother and his grandchildren.

Fred recalls living in the old huts and that more of the men lived on site in the earlier years than they do now.

They were 10 X 10 and made out of 2 x 2 Oregon and masonite. Not the most comfortable of facilities. There were no lights and one of the men used to put three kerosene lamps under the bed to keep war,