45 Years And Out For Well And Stationary Engine Steward

The Welland Steam & Country Rally, held in the shadow of the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire, is renowned for its display of stationary engines, with the engine section considered by many to be amongst the best and most varied in the UK.

- Mike Milestone

There was a sad tinge to affairs before the show began this year, as longstanding engine steward Peter Allen had announced his retirement when sending the entry passes out, with this rally been his last at the helm. Most people will think that engine stewards come and go, but in this instance Peter has done the job for some 45 years, and in that time has always maintained a high quality engine display whilst also making sure that Welland was amongst the friendliest shows around.

As one could imagine, upon hearing the news of Peter’s retirement, the engine exhibitors were a bit shocked, but most agreed that at the age of 89, Peter has earned it. Attention then turned to how we, as a section, could thank Peter for all he has done over the years. The wonders of modern technology kicked in and several exhibitors discussed plans over the internet and several phone calls were made. The end result was that incoming engine steward Mike Bond spread the word that the rally committee were planning a presentation to Peter in the beer tent on the Thursday evening of the rally (The show runs Friday, Saturday, Sunday), however it was felt that he also deserved something similar from the engine section.