A much-loved and dedicated fireman from Hadleigh has retired after 24 years of service to the local community.
Tony Faulkner, who has hung up his uniform for good, had been working at Hadleigh Fire Station for almost a quarter of a century.
As far as Mr Faulkner remembers, it was not his dream as a little boy to be a firefighter, but he certainly loved the job.
He said: “The fire station was short-staffed, and they were looking for somebody who could give full cover.
“It was never my dream to join the firemen's crew, but I talked to a couple of guys who worked at the station, and they convinced me to apply for the job.
“Since then, I was working daytime, evenings and weekends.”
Mr Faulkner said that he will remember days spent at the Hadleigh Fire Station as "time full of banter, working together, and just being one big team”.
The 64-year-old fireman said that he took part in a few jobs that he will never forget -including Partridges Coaches, and Primo, a supermarket with deep-cleaning products.
He said: "They were all hard work.
“Summer 2018, as well as this summer was full of fires too.
“On any job we do, we’ve got our officer in charge, as well as deputies, but we always work together as a team.
“You basically know what each person is capable of doing.”
Mr Faulkner finished his firefighter duty on August 31, but has not fully retired.
He said: “I should be still working because I'm self-employed. I'm a general builder, so my plans are to continue working for a little while.”
The team from Hadleigh Fire Station said that Mr Faulkner “will be difficult if not impossible to replace”.
Mr Faulkner shared a piece of advice for people who dream to be a fireman: “Just study hard and remember that you will have to give up a lot of your time to do this job.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here