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John McAleese shares memories of his time working as a plumber at Queen¡¯s.

I started working as a plumber at Queen¡¯s in 1964. Seeing my granddaughters study at and graduate from Queen¡¯s makes me so proud, and I am happy to have contributed in some small way to the success of the University. ?

Queen¡¯s was a wonderful place to be with lots of discoveries. I loved it because I saw so many wonderful people; doctors, professors, lecturers. They knew I was full of curiosity and were always willing to answer my many, many questions! ?
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I worked in almost every department and building. ?

In 1966, I was instructed to fit a new bathroom facility in Whitla Hall. The supplies were delivered, we noticed there was no toilet seat. ?
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I said to my boss, and he told me to never mind. I said, ¡®Oh, you¡¯d think the Queen was coming¡¯ and all of a sudden, the colour drained from his face. I then realised that the Queen actually was coming! ?
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It was super-secret; no one knew that the Queen was coming for security reasons. I never saw the toilet seat being attached. A member of staff from the Royal household team was instructed to fit it just prior to her visit. ?

?On another occasion, I was working up a ladder, chipping away at the wall. All of a sudden, a policeman came out of nowhere and said, ¡°Would you stop banging, we can¡¯t hear the Prime Minister!¡± This would have been Terence O¡¯Neill, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland at the time. ?
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It was one of the greatest pleasures of my plumbing career to work at Queen¡¯s. I loved working within Geology and learning about how ice sheets have shaped the landscape. I loved working within Physics and seeing the students and academics using lasers. Every day was a discovery and every day I enjoyed it to the full.
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