Pat & Tom Retire after 19 Yrs with Western Forestry Co-op

After 19 years working together (half a Forest Rotation) providing excellent farm forestry services, advice and support, both Patricia Dillon (fondly known as Pat to all who know her) Forestry Development Officer and Tom Staunton, Co-op Forester have retired from the East Mayo Forestry Co-op (part of Western Forestry Co-op) based in Kiltimagh.

Pat & Tom have dealt with an impressive 800 farmers in the 19yrs they were there. During that time they organised numerous open days, field days, group plantings and organised the planting of some 5600 acres. They worked closely with Teagasc, Forest Service, Coillte Staff, Connacht Gold Co-op and Marts and the IRD in Kiltimagh. Tom & Pat would like to say they greatly appreciated the support, friendship and friendliness shown to them down through the years and that they never got a bad reception in any house they ever called to and that everyone was so kind. They would like to personally thank the manager and staff of Kiltimagh IRD for their support and co-operation, Teagasc staff who were very supportive of the Western Forestry Co-op and all the Forest Service Inspectors (Joe Doyle, Bartley O’Grady, Martin Regan and Tom Kavanagh) in Mayo down through the years who worked very well with the Co-op.

Pat and Tom would like to say that they thoroughly enjoyed their time in the East Mayo Forestry Co-op from their humble beginnings undertaking door to door farm forestry surveys to building up 800 farmer members in Mayo.

Pat & Tom were very happy to hand over the reins to Wes Seery, Co-op Forester for Mayo. Wes is based in the new Forestry office at the Aurivo Mart in Ballinrobe (article to follow in the New Year). Wes graduated from UCC with a Bachelor of Engineering in 2003 and later from GMIT with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry, you can contact Wes on 087-9674847 if you have any queries or want information about forestry. Please be assured that all the people Pat & Tom have dealt with down through the years and any new clients will be thoroughly looked after from the Ballinrobe Office in the mart, please feel free to call in on mart day or whenever you see Wes’s silver van outside the office.

We wish Pat & Tom many happy relaxed years of retirement, many hours on the golf course, the farm, plenty of sun holidays and time with family and friends.

Pat & Tom back in the good old days presenting at a Forestry Show

(left to right) Don Dillon, Ray Gallagher (Western Forestry Co-op Manager, retired), Pat Dillon (Western Forestry Co-op, retired) Tom Kavanagh (Forest Service), Jimmy Martin (Coillte retired), Tom Staunton (Western Forestry Co-op, retired)

The Dynamic Forestry Duo (Pat Dillon, Tom Staunton Western Forestry Co-op)