The BBC visited Clacton Pier last week to celebrate Alan Walker’s 50 years working in the arcades and amusement industry, with the 80-year-old coin operation GM telling the broadcaster he has “no plans to retire.”
Alan Walker has told the BBC – and indeed the whole world – he has “no plans to retire” despite clocking up 50 years in the amusement and arcade trade, after the broadcaster visited Clacton Pier to celebrate his career anniversary.
Currently serving as the attraction’s coin operation general manager, the 80-year-old told reporters that the secret to his success in the industry was to “learn quickly on the job and be very flexible.”
“The industry’s progressed so much now and the machines now are nearly all PC based,” said Walker. “I think the whole thing has got more and more exciting as the years have gone on. As long as I am enjoying what I do, I will continue doing it.”
“I think basically it’s keeping up to date with the product and making sure that everything you’ve got on site works to 100 percent, offering the customer exactly what they want.”
Walker is originally from Yarm in North Yorkshire, and served for nine years as an electronics engineer in the Army before entering the amusements business in 1973, five years before Clacton Pier had even opened its arcade.
He first joined the pier in 2005 after a six year spell at J Holland and Sons, having previously worked with Nobles and First Leisure, and told the BBC that when the time does come for him to retire, he will likely stay in Clacton.
“I came to this area never knowing what Essex was about and [I’ve] really enjoyed living here, and so, talking to my wife, we think this is one of the places to retire to.”
At 80, he still sounds a long way away from retiring.
The machines man
Alan Walker said… “I think the whole thing has got more and more exciting as the years have gone on. As long as I am enjoying what I do, I will continue doing it…
