February 15, 2016
A special get-together was held on Saturday afternoon to mark the end of a 47-year career.
Russell Cornell began work as a 3rd Year carpentry and joinery apprentice at the Kingaroy Joinery on February 10, 1969.
He hung up his tools 47 years later to the day after working with three generations of Kingaroy Joinery owners.
“I’ve seen a helluva lot of changes,” Russell said, while his friends and colleagues gathered at Crane Wines.
“There’s different techniques, changes in products and the way things are made.”
And what about computerised technology?
“That’s why I am retiring!” he joked.
Russell helped to train “heaps” of apprentices over the years, including current Kingaroy Joinery owner Darrin Kefford, the third generation of the family company.
He now plans to “do a bit of travelling”.
