MEMBER ASSESSMENT FEATURES


Power trip


Our Technical Advisers travel far and wide to carry out their assessments, but one SELECT expert went above and beyond before the lockdown with a 400-mile round journey to inspect a Member’s work at the remote Mull of Kintyre lighthouse


By Darren Sweeney, SELECT Technical Adviser


A


s part of the criteria for SELECT membership, Technical Advisers are required to carry out periodic assessments of Members and their work. While scheduling


such an assessment with Wullie McMaster of McMaster Electrical, he asked if I wanted to inspect a recently refurbished installation. The only catch?


It was six hours from SELECT HQ. And it was a lighthouse. Always up for a challenge, we duly discussed the requirements with the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) and set a date to travel the 200-plus miles from The Walled Garden to the Mull of Kintyre.


After a morning of reports and IET documentation, I set off at 2pm, chasing the setting sun in the west – a task made more diffi cult with the closure of the Rest and Be Thankful on the A83. A diversion via Callander, Crianlarich and Inveraray meant the winter sun


had vanished by the time I reached my overnight stop in Campbeltown, 16 miles away from my fi rst-ever lighthouse inspection.


A stormy start The next morning I meandered south to meet Wullie, who told me that a storm was currently lashing the west side of the famous peninsula – exactly where we were heading. After driving in convoy towards the lighthouse, Wullie suggested I join him in his car for the last 1.5 miles. Any perceived slight at my driving soon


36 CABLEtalk JUNE/JULY 2020


Darren sets off on his journey


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