10 Dec Retirement Spotlight | Brian Allan

Gray & Adams said goodbye to long-serving employee Brian Allan. Working as a Manufacturing operative in our Paint Department in Fraserburgh, Brian has worked for Gray & Adams for the last 38 years. We caught up with Brian just after his retirement to find out more about what he will miss about working for Gray & Adams and what he is looking forward to as he enters this new chapter.

What was your role at Gray & Adams and what were your day-to-day responsibilities?

I was a painter. My main responsibility was checking the chassis after they came out of the spray booths. Once the van was lifted onto the chassis and moved into completion, I would inspect it for any missed areas and ensure the paintwork was flawless.

What did you do before you came to Gray & Adams and why did you want to work for the company?

I started at Gray & Adams when I was 15, serving my apprenticeship as a painter and sign writer. I had a knack for art at school, and a teacher, who was friends with James Gray Snr, forwarded some of my hand-drawn work to him. That led to my first opportunity with the company.

I left the company when I was 21 to gain more experience in the painting business. I worked on house painting before going on to painting boats at Sandhaven which I did until I was 52 before rejoining Gray & Adams. During those years painting boats, I had volunteered at the Fraserburgh lifeboat. I had enjoyed this work and so decided to once again leave Gray & Adams to work offshore for search and rescue. I did this until I was 60 when BP’s dedicated offshore search and rescue service was ended in 2015. I then returned to Gray & Adams where I worked full-time until I was 66 and then went down to working 3 days a week until my retirement earlier this year.

What was your biggest achievement while working for Gray & Adams?

I didn’t get red or green boiler suit, but I took pride in consistently doing my job well and working closely with my colleagues.

What did you enjoy most about working for Gray & Adams?

I really enjoyed the people and the work itself. Every day was varied, with different chassis for different companies, including double-deckers and single-deckers. The variety kept it interesting and made it enjoyable. 

 Working in different departments kept things exciting for me and the company has seen a fair change from when I first started. When I first joined at 15 the whole company was under one shed – welding, chassis, building, paint shop and fridge shop – and it’s amazing to see how it’s grown massively.

  What are your plans for retirement?

I’m currently following medical advice to slow down after a stroke. I plan to spend more time with my wife, two daughters, and grandkids. I help with my seven-year-old grandson, taking him to school and picking him up in the afternoons, and continue to do small jobs for my family.

I play the guitar, which I picked up when I was about fourteen, and these days I meet up with friends to play some tunes whenever we can get together. It’s always good fun so I look forward to more of that.

 James and Peter Gray would like to thank Brian for his commitment to the company and wish him all the best in his retirement going forward.