You could see that Dick Mackey's farewell ceremony was going to be special, from the tower of parcels that nearly obscured him from the view of the Colloquium-full of friends who had come to wish him well.
'Dick is one of the longest serving members of the Atlas Centre, and undoubtedly one of the best liked', said Doug House to whom the pleasure of performing the ceremony had fallen. (Bob Hopgood's voice had suddenly given out.)
Dick was born in Kilkenny, Southern Ireland and lived there until he was 14 when he came to England as an Apprentice Jockey. Like many people, the war upset his career and from 1939-46 he was a driver in the army. This included driving Sir Alanbrooke (who later became Viscount Alanbrook, Chief of Staff at the War Office). He was a Staff Car Driver in Europe taking part in the activities at Arnhem, Falaise Gap, Nijgmeqen, Brussels (including its liberation) and Germany. After the war, he combined his two main interests - horses and cars - by becoming travelling head lad and box driver with responsibility for the security of horses to and from the race course.
Dick joined the Atlas Computer Laboratory on Monday 23 November 1964 (missed 20 years by only 7 days!). Among his many duties Dick acted as driver to Atlas Director Dr. Jack Howlett and was responsible for the fleet of Atlas Vehicles (3 cars and a 4-wheel drive Landrover for getting shift crews to work under any weather conditions). He was also responsible for the cleaning crew.
Most of the stories people remember concerning Dick normally involve cars and either his driving expertise or his helpfulness and dependability. In the early days, Dick spent a great deal of time meeting people at the airport. University visitors used to say whatever problems they had had so far, if they saw Dick's face at the Airport, their troubles were over. Dr Howlett remembers missing a plane in Paris and eventually catching a later one - Dick was still there to meet him.
The cars themselves were kept in immaculate condition (to the envy of others not a million miles away). He also attempted to keep everyone else's cars running as well.
"I have only one fault to find with Dick's performance over the years", joked Doug, "and it is a serious one in somebody so reliable. In all the time I have worked with him (20 years less 7 days), he has not once given me a decent racing tip!"
The tower of gifts took time to open and revealed a carriage clock, binoculars, a radio, Waterford Glass tumblers, a tankard, and a tray bearing an aerial view of the Atlas Centre. Thanking everyone for all the gifts, Dick remarked how pleased he was that so many old friends had come along for the occasion. "I have enjoyed my working career", he ended to applause.
