A MAN who spent more than 30 years as a local government administrator bade farewell at a ceremony at Darlington town hall last Friday.

Family, friends, councillors and colleagues past and present packed the council chamber to give Mr Geoff Bosworth, aged 53, a warm send-off.

Colleagues paid tribute to Mr Bosworth, who was known to many as "the election man" because of his 19 years organising elections at both local and national level in the town.

Mr Peter Bowerbank, a member of Mr Bosworth's team, described him as quick-witted, honest and open.

"He has been a mentor to many of us; his word is his bond and he is well respected," he added.

Mr Bowerbank went on: "One of Geoff's great attributes is he has a very high work rate and works well under pressure."

A keen football fan, Mr Bosworth is a supporter of Darlington and, being a Lincolnshire man by birth, Grimsby Town. He also does a lot of work for local junior football club Darlington Allstars.

He started his local government career 34 years ago working for the parking metre section of the Greater London Council.

Mr Bosworth recalled his first encounter with the leader of the GLC in the early 70s, Mr Ken Livingstone: "Hello Geoff, come and meet Marjorie," said Mr Livingstone.

"I thought it was his wife," said Mr Bosworth, "but it was his pet salamander."

He also recanted the time when, frustrated by one particularly long council meeting, Mr Livingstone locked all the other councillors in the chamber and threw the key into the river Thames.

In 1978 he moved to the quieter surroundings of Hambleton District Council, but moved on to Darlington in 1981.

He recalled his early days in Darlington, saying: "At one of my first council meetings a youthful Coun John Williams stood up and gave one of his fire and brimstone speeches which raised the roof. Coun Harry Robinson then stood up and said he had never heard such utter codswallop in all his life. I knew then I was home."

He described such highlights as the 1983 by-election - "the sheer electric atmosphere that could be election night" - the opening of the Dolphin centre by Sir Roger Bannister and the introduction of CCTV surveillance cameras in the town centre.

"What I will always remember, though, are the 120-plus events I organised," he said.

"The yardstick has always been Remembrance Sunday and I am pleased to have been part of that, including the things that went wrong and the things people never noticed.

"There were processions that set off too early, others that set off too late and broke into a gallop to keep up, and the time I forgot the wreath and had to borrow the chief constable's!"

Another of his outstanding memories is the fortnight of tributes following the death of Princess Diana. "I will always remember the event at the end when the schoolchildren brought all the flowers to the town hall," he said.

Despite his farewell speech being full of humour and fond memories, there was a tinge of bitterness to his leaving.

He said: "When I first started in 1966, my boss sat me down and said 'Bosworth, you have made a good choice, a job in local government is a job for life'. How times have changed.

"My job disappeared on January 1 and I am sad and disappointed that, after so many years service, I was not allowed to go when I chose to."

After thanking his family and colleagues for all their support, Mr Bosworth added: "I have made many friends and have a lot of fond memories but, as they say, tomorrow is the start of the rest of our lives."