Helideck Certification Agency Ltd is celebrating the 80th birthday of its valued employee Pete Garland, thought to be one of the oldest offshore workers in the North Sea.
Pete Garland, senior helideck inspector with Aberdeen-based Helideck Certification Agency Ltd (HCA), celebrated his 80th
birthday this week.
Pete shows no signs of slowing down and regularly undertakes helideck inspections in the North Sea and beyond, making him one of the oldest offshore workers in the UK.
Following a career in the Royal Navy, latterly as a rescue diver, Pete joined British Airways Helicopters in 1972 as a search and rescue crewman. He was awarded the Royal Humane Society award in 1979 for his role in a rescue of a seaman overcome by fumes on a bulk oil tanker.
Remaining with the company as it transitioned into CHC Helicopters, Pete became involved in helping to collate information on the various helidecks of the oil and gas installations in the North Sea. He was one of the first full time helideck inspectors and transferred to HCA when it became a separate legal entity in 2005.
Pete is also the company expert on helicopter landing areas on super yachts and is warmly greeted when on annual recertification visits by the many friends he has made over the years. He always entertains the crews by showing them his latest magic trick!
His colleagues at HCA helped him celebrate his birthday with a cake made by operations coordinator Louise Andrew in the shape of his favourite snack – a sausage roll.
Dave Rae, managing director at HCA commented: “Pete is a fantastic character with so much experience and he is a great ambassador for HCA.
"He still loves getting out and about to inspect helidecks and is always ready to pass on his knowledge and expertise to others. He’s a real mentor to the other HCA inspectors and is always ready to share an anecdote from his long career.”
Happy Birthday, Pete!