Tributes to public servant

CAROLE MASTERS

A FORMER magistrate who served as personnel manager at Oldham's Department for Social Security has died.

Carole Masters, who served the Oldham area as a magistrate, passed away peacefully on December 18 at 79 years of age surrounded by her family.

As well as being a magistrate Carole received an MBE for her service and spent 33 years with Oldham's Department for Social Security.

She first started her career with social security services as casual help but worked her way up to become personnel manager at the Oldham department and became responsible for 350 staff in the area.

Carole was also a supplementary benefits visiting officer and worked on fraud and child support.

She also worked hard to support women in work and when she gave birth to her son Simon she was the first woman in Oldham's Department for Social Security to return to work after having a child and by doing so won a bet with her then manager that she would come back rather then stay at home which was a common expectation at the time.

She was married to her husband Keith and had Simon, who married Kahryn and they gave her two grandsons, Robert and Harry, who she loved dearly.

Simon said: "She was a very long-term public servant. I'm very proud of her. She was very kind and very caring. She was always looking to put others before herself.

"Not only that she was really positive about life and about people, she always saw the good side of people.

He said: "She came from a poor background and she worked her way up with not only drive and ambition but her kindness, care and support of other people."

Service and committal will be at Oldham Crematorium, Hollinwood, on Friday, December 23 at 11am.

Anyone who would like to make donation in Carole's memory can do so to Dr Kershaw's Hospice.