SAS pays tribute to retired Motherwell staff at presentation
The Scottish Ambulance Service paid tribute to two dedicated colleagues at a special event marking their collective 69 years of service.
John McAlonan, joined the Service in 1972 as an Urgent Tier driver assisting hospital transfers, and Bobby Clyde, an Ambulance Care Assistant who joined in 2006, were recognised at a presentation at Motherwell Ambulance Station on Saturday, where they both finished their working careers.
Recalling one of his more memorable jobs, aged 22 at the time, John was at home and just four weeks into his job as an ambulanceman - the previous term used for emergency responders - when his wife went into labour.
John, 74, said: “It was just really weird. I was in bed sleeping and I just had to get on with it. Believe it or not, I’ve not had many deliveries during the rest of my time in the Service.”
Bobby now 70 joined SAS after working as a bus driver for initially Kelvin Central Buses and latterly First Bus.
He initially joined the ambulance service as a renal car driver, but quickly moved on to become an ambulance care assistant as part of the Service’s Patient Transport Service.
He said it was the best move he ever made.
The father of two, granddad of three said: “The staff were great at Motherwell, really friendly and everyone is treated the same, from paramedics to ambulance care assistants to fleet staff. I am still going to visit them.”
The things he will miss about the job were the people and the staff, adding part of this job was “keeping the spirits up” of patients.
Bobby said he plans to play more golf, spend time with his three grandchildren, Natasha and Dylan Thomson and Ava Clyde, and his wife, Marion Clyde, who he met when he was 15.