THE chairman of Barnston Parish Council, who once worked with explosives in the defence industry, has been recognised in the New Year Honours.
Richard Burlend, who was born and brought up in Liverpool, had an early passion for flying and gained a Higher National Certificate in engineering.
Now the 63-year-old has been appointed an MBE for his lifetime of service to defence and is currently a part-time engineering consultant.
Cllr Burlend admitted his work "does occasionally involve explosions" but said "with some sadness" that his days were now more office-based than experimenting in the laboratory.
He believes the award reflected his "persistence" over a career typified by dedication and hard work.
"I have been very fortunate – I've had a very, very interesting career, working with some extremely good, intelligent and hard-working people," he said.
His career began with the Ministry of Defence in the 1970s, starting at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, that became the Royal Aerospace Establishment, in Bedford, which ceased major operations in 1994.
From there he moved to the Rocket Propulsion Establishment in Westcott, Bedfordshire, where innovations in missile systems have been developed.
The facility was once so secret that it was not marked on Ordnance Survey maps.
He then transferred from Westcott to the Royal Gunpowder Mills at Waltham Abbey.
While Cllr Burlend is unable to talk about the details of his work, that establishment has a 300-year history in military propellant and high explosives and latterly included work with rockets.
After re-organisations of Governmental research, the Essex centre finally closed in 1991 and Cllr Burlend moved to Fort Halstead in Kent, which again works with explosives.
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) group leader David Southgate said: "Richard, who has worked for the Ministry of Defence for more than 40 years, has been recognised for creating many bespoke engineering solutions using his practical mechanical and electrical engineering skills and knowledge of materials and explosives to support operational tasks."
Cllr Burlend has served on Barnston Parish Council for around 20 years and been its chairman for the past 12 years.
Married to wife Amanda since 1983, the couple have two grown-up children, William and Helen.
He continues his engineering work with his favourite pastime, restoring a 65-year-old Rover 14 Sportsman saloon.
