WITH a penchant for mental arithmetic and a legendary memory, a council worker has been an indispensable part of County Hall for more than 60 years.

Arthur Clark, a senior engineer in the waste and recycling team at Essex County Council, has spent almost every working day with the council and marked his diamond work anniversary on September 16.

A lot has changed since he started in 1957, when his mental arithmetic skills were in high demand but even with technological advances, Arthur is still as valuable as he was on day one.

So why still work at the grand age of 76? Because there is much work still to be done, according to Arthur.

He said: “I am single and I want to keep active and the work is there to be done.

“Even today I am still asked to answer queries on highways schemes dating back 60 years, particularly relating to drainage issues.

“I can find the drawings almost immediately.”

Arthur, of Woodham Walter, started work in 1957 virtually straight from school as a junior draughtsman tracer for the highways department, then based in Old Court, Chelmsford.

During his career he has worked all over the county, covering the whole highways network.

His excellent mathematical skills made him ideal for roles within the bridges office, the newly created traffic engineering department and the divisional surveyor’s team.

Almost certainly, every current employee will have benefited from at least one of his projects.

In the mid 1990s Arthur was approached to help design a new civic amenity centre for Springfield, Chelmsford.

More work for this team followed and perhaps his proudest achievement was designing the project to create a new recycling centre for Braintree, considered pioneering for Essex for its time.

At 65, Arthur moved permanently to the waste and recycling office for three days a week, keen to complete the Braintree and Saffron Walden recycling centre projects.

During the last 22 years he has been involved in improvements to the layouts of all the other recycling centres in Essex.

In June 2016, aged 75, he had to retire formally under Local Government regulations but having organised and recorded the drawing records of the highways schemes mostly from the late 1950s he is now recording all of the council’s highways, recycling centre and landfill site drawings for one and a half days a week.

And more and more documents continue to be unearthed so Arthur has these to record before likely retirement.

To celebrate the 60-year mark, a special celebration was held in County Hall.

Paul Anka’s song Diana was played to start the proceedings – the song was number one the day Arthur started work at the organisation in 1957.

On that day Harold Macmillan was Britain’s Prime Minister and the Beatles had not even formed.

Simon Walsh, cabinet member for environment and waste, said: “Arthur is the epitome of what a really great public servant is and an awful lot of people in Essex owe him a great deal of thanks for what he has done. He has made a difference to many people.

“He has displayed, and continues to display, loyalty, diligence, hard work, attention to detail and love for what he does. Arthur’s enthusiasm for whatever he does remains undiminished.

“Over the years Essex County Council has relied many times on Arthur’s legendary memory for historical information relating to ownership, origins and previous uses for land in Essex.

“At the drop of a hat he is able to recall in minute detail events and discussions dating back to the time he started at Essex.

“Arthur should be proud of the service he has given and continues to give to Essex County Council and we his colleagues are proud of him and what he has achieved.”