Tomlinson started in Western Australia, in 1892. This year will be our 130th year of existence and a significant milestone in the company’s history. One of our dedicated employees, Darryl Burnes, has been part of the Tomlinson Team for 40 of those years! Darryl applied for the job in February 1982 after a suggestion from his brother-in-law, who was a service manager at the time. His application was successful and began his long journey as a tube cleaner. In 1982, boilers in the Sydney area were being converted from diesel oil firing to natural gas. There was plenty of boiler work there for Darryl to do.
At the time, Tomlinson was known as ‘Tomlinson Steel PTY LTD’ and was located at Sydney Street, Marrickville. The area would not be recognisable today. Once the centre of the industry, Marrickville is now home to large apartment complexes. The business was bought out by Clyde Industries and moved to Granville, this was followed by a sale to Centurion Industries, in the 90’s, further relocating operations to Smithfield. Darryl moved with the company. By the ’90s, tube cleaning was almost a thing of the past. Darryl moved on to doing refractory repairs, brickwork and boiler re-tubing. Rather than going home at night covered in soot, he was going home covered in refractory concrete dust.
Later, Tomlinson was bought out by RCR and rebadged to RCR Energy Service. The business travelled to Wetherill Park and then to Seven Hills. Darryl continued expanding his skills. He became further involved in stock and stores, on-call servicing, annual boiler services and scheduling work when service coordinators were away.
In 2019 RCR Energy service was bought by EGL Group. It took on the name of Tomlinson Energy Service. This meant Darryl was relocating again. In total, he relocated over seven times and watched the company transition across five different owners during his 40 years of service. Darryl has worked under eight (8) different state managers, over twelve (12) service managers and over 150 fellow service technicians. He has seen off numerous CEOs. Too many to recollect.
Boiler technology has significantly advanced over the years, making Darryl a master of servicing many different types and models. He has gained a wealth of knowledge of boiler components and locations. If you are unsure of what boiler is at what site Darryl will tell you off the top of his head.
Darryl has described the current management team and work colleagues as the best he has worked with in his time at Tomlinson. However, after 40 years he is considering moving on. On behalf of everyone at Tomlinson Energy Service, I congratulate Darryl on reaching such a significant milestone. When he eventually decides to hang up the boots, we wish him all the best in his retirement.
Tomlinson Energy Service provides a complete repair and maintenance service for boilers 24/7, 365 days a year. Our experienced team of specialists will deliver unparalleled boiler repair and boiler maintenance service on-site to ensure your boilers continue to work at optimal capacity for as long as possible.
Get in contact with us at Tomlinson Energy Service via our contact form or call us at +61 3 8560 0419 to ensure smooth steam water boiler service and repair.
