A longstanding Brock groundsman will hang up his ear defenders for the last time this week as he finally retires from his job mowing the College’s AstroTurf pitches.
Arty Fishall (66), joined Brock in early 1982 as the College’s in-house AstroTurf cultivation and maintenance expert.
Since then, he has kept the hockey and five-a-side football pitches weed-free and perfectly trimmed by devoting two half-days a week to their upkeep.
Arty said: “I’m not getting any younger, and the AstroTurf maintenance profession has changed so much over the last decade.
“Everything is computerised this and automated that; it’s really ripped the soul out of what used to be an art form.”
Brock Estates chief, Paul Stenning, said: “I’ll be sorry to see Arty leave; what he doesn’t know about mowing AstroTurf isn’t worth knowing…”
According to friends, Arty will be spending much of his retirement tending to silk flowers in his garden and walking his faux French bulldog.
