Lissette, who grew up in Hawke's Bay and even worked in the can-making section at Wattie's while still at high school, helped build the now iconic Wattie's sign at the Heinz-Wattie's factory in Hastings.
The sign was commissioned during the rebuild of the factory, which had been gutted in a disastrous fire in 1962.
Brian Lissette helped build the iconic Wattie's sign which sits above the Hastings factory and is amazed it's still there. Photo / Supplied
Made up of individual perspex panels, the sign was 40-feet wide and 12-feet high - about 12 metres by 3m.
"That was the biggest sign that we ever made there," Lissette said.
"I remember we had to work of the logo on a tin of Wattie's baked beans. It was all scaled up from that."
It was made from red perspex, which was cut out by hand using a scroll saw and then glued on to a white background perspex within a steel frame, he explained.
It took several weeks to make.
"The frame would have been put in first, then each section lifted in a by a crane.
"I did all the plastic work and can remember painting the galvanised iron with a special paint."
The original sign even used to light up at night.
He was chuffed to know it's still there today after seeing it in a photograph published in an article by Hawke's Bay Today.
"It's lasted quite well. It's quite amazing that it's still there after 60 years.
"I must have done something right."
While he noticed a few pieces were missing, "that is not so bad after withstanding all the weather for that length of time", he said.
Lissette, who now lives in Mount Maunganui, also designed a few other iconic signs around the region, including one above the former Lilac Bakery on Heretaunga St, Hastings, but said none compared to the Wattie's giant.
Brian Lissette also worked on other iconic signs around Hawke's Bay, including the former-Lilac Bakery sign on Heretaunga St, Hastings. Photo / Supplied
A Wattie's spokesman said the sign was a feature of the building from that time and was one of the largest of its type in New Zealand.
Originally, the red Wattie's logo was featured on a yellow background.
The face and back of the sign were made up of vertical Perspex panels and the sign was illuminated panel by panel, moving from left to right until it was fully lit up.
The spokesman said it operated in this way right up until the early 1980s and glimpses of it could be seen all over Hastings South and the entire length of King St.
Around 30 years ago the Wattie's buildings were painted white, the spokesman said.
"For some reason, the sign was also included in this over-paint, although within a few weeks the Wattie's logo was restored."
