Jun 1, 2021
- Awards & Recognition
- Citywide Life
- Waste Management
June 1st marks 40 years to the day since Robert Arnold walked from his home in Carlton to the Melbourne Town Hall and asked if there were any street-sweeping jobs available. He was asked if he was physically fit, and told to come back and start work the next day.
Since then, the 62-year-old – still fit as a fiddle – has walked literally thousands of miles to keep his home city clean.
“He’s a true garbologist,” says supervisor Luca De Fazio, who has managed Robert’s shifts for the past 15 years. “Nothing ever slows him down.”
Despite his incredible milestone, however, Robert insists on sharing the credit with his workmates, Dale Perry, Giuseppe De Fazio and Johnny Pavitt, who have worked alongside him emptying litter bins across Kensington, Parkville, North Melbourne, West Melbourne and Carlton.
“They’ve been doing the same work as me for a long time too,” says Robert. “We all do this job together.”
While Robert has come a long way in the past 40 years, his city has too. “There were hardly any bins in those days,” he recalls. “Two of us fillers used to walk behind the trucks and everyone just piled up their rubbish in plastic bags in the laneways.”
The system has evolved dramatically, with thousands of litter bins across the city being emptied into highly-automated ‘smart’ garbage trucks. But despite the technological advances, Robert’s job remains essentially the same.
“I still walk alongside the truck and put the bins on the lifter,” he says. “But the truck does most of the heavy lifting these days!”
As well as his regular garbage runs on weekdays, Robert used to do sweeping at Victoria Market on Friday nights and empty waste bins in Chinatown on Sundays for overtime. But these days, he says, his 6am-2pm weekday shifts are enough for him.
“I still enjoy the job,” he says. “I always get to meet a lot of people – people always stop and say hello, and you get to know some of the shopkeepers and residents pretty well.
“Plus I work with some really great guys – so I’ve got no complaints at all!”
So what will Robert be doing to celebrate his milestone on June 2nd? Again, his natural humility takes over: he doesn’t want to make a fuss.
“I’ll be working as usual that day,” he says. “Then I’ll probably have a cup of tea when I come home and just relax a bit.”
Robert is a man of simple pleasures – he loves watching footie on the TV, and spending time with his beloved nephews and niece, who now have children of their own. “I love them as if they were my own,” he says.
Well everyone at Citywide loves you, Robert. You are a true role model for the Citywide family, and your selfless dedication to your job and your city are an inspiration to us all. Happy anniversary, Robert!
Media Contact:
Simon Mossman - Group Corporate Communications
M 0427 307 216
E simon.mossman@citywide.com.au
Photos: above, Robbie pictured on Carlton's Elgin Street, in north Melbourne, and below with teammate and driver Dale Perry.
