No slowing down for new retiree
John Sauer recently retired from the job he worked for nearly 40 years, but it hasn’t sunk in yet.
He went to last week’s morning tea and still has sleepless moments during the night when work pops into his head.
For someone who has worked at the same company for 38 years, the idea of retirement might take a bit longer to settle in.
Sauer started at T&G Foods (Turners and Growers), previously known as ENZAFOODS, in Nelson in 1978, after coming home from Europe ‘‘broke and needing a job’’.
He never left.
Sauer worked his way up from seasonal forklift driver to fruit procurement manager, in charge of creating strategies to deliver products and working closely with suppliers.
He held that position for the past 35 years.
‘‘In all my years of experience I have seen huge changes in the pipfruit industry.
‘‘Nelson in the 80s and 90s had 300 plus growers and nearly 100 packhouses, which were mostly family operated businesses.
‘‘Today the number of growers has fallen below 100 with less than 30 packhouses overall, yet production has risen.’’
He said the factory on Nayland Rd used to be in a semi-rural setting with no housing anywhere nearby.
Today, Nayland Rd is in the midst of a buzzing community.
Retirement for Sauer doesn’t mean sitting still as he’s active as a volunteer in multiple organisations.
He is the chair of the Brain Injury Association, involved with Tasman United and has just taken on the role of refugee resettlement volunteer with New Zealand Red Cross.
It’s a job he takes seriously, as he tries to determine the size of the football shirt one of the refugee boys would need for his upcoming football match.
In addition to his volunteer work, Sauer said he and his wife Margaret were looking into buying a campervan to travel around New Zealand in.
First on the list was the Coromandel.
‘‘Hopefully I will [also] get time to go fishing in the boat I pur- chased with mates prior Christmas.’’
He said he loved working with all those involved in his job, both to within the company as well as the growers and suppliers.
‘‘I know I’m going to miss the people.’’