Mr McClelland has been an employee of Lawrence and Hanson Electrical Wholesalers for the past 20 years, and was farewelled with a barbecue lunch at the Kable Ave store.

Mr McClelland entered the industry in 1958 at WG Watson’s electrical wholesalers, where he worked for 11 years before spending 19 years at Cablemakers and then moving to his position at Lawrence and Hanson.

He told The Leader he had experienced many changes in the industry over the years and the decision to retire was not taken lightly.

“There’s been a lot of changes of the years in the way things are done and the way they (electricians) do things, in lots of different ways. There’s also computers now. Back then, everything used to be done manually,” he said.

“I started as a storeman and worked my way up to sales representative and then a manager.

“I gave retiring a fair bit of thought but made the decision to go.”

Mr McClelland will continue to serve as chairman of the West Tamworth League Club board, a position he’s held for 15 years. He has been a board member for 22 years.

He plans to spend more time with his two children and grandchildren, all living in Queensland, but said he’d miss the friends he had made during his career.