The three with their colleagues on their last day Friday April 9.
The three with their colleagues on their last day Friday April 9.
Pic 2: BTG190421SC2 Caption: Stephen Brown, Peter Genet and Peter Hart with Scanpower CEO Lee Bettles.
By Dave Murdoch
Three Scanpower employees retired on Friday, April 9 and were honoured for their huge commitment to the company.
They collectively had worked 90 years in the business, Stephen Brown 48 years, Peter Genet 36 years and Peter Hart six years.
At their farewell Scanpower CEO Lee Bettles said it was scarcely believable that these men had worked for the company for that long. He said the company is ranked fourth out of 29 among power companies for reliability and third in assets based on staff – largely due to the likes of these three.
All three display their amazing laser carved farewell gifts
All three replied they had thoroughly enjoyed working for the company.
Stephen first joined the Dannevirke Power Board as an apprentice linesman in 1973 and has found the variety of challenges very interesting, varying from underground work to overhead street lighting and this expanded when it became Scanpower.
Peter Genet started as an apprentice in 1984 and has also thoroughly enjoyed the job, particularly working with farmers. He was grateful for the way the company encouraged staff to take on and train for new roles, saying that if he had his time over again he would not have done anything differently.
After working for many years for the HB Power Board and a stint in Melbourne, Peter Hart signed on as project manager with Scanpower, saying he was lucky at age 59 to be given the role which has turned out to be his best six years in the industry.
He said his team which included Stephen and Peter were very professional and good humoured – great blokes to work with. He said they have done some very enjoyable projects over the years including replacing most wooden poles with concrete – 1500 in his six years.
They recognised the industry has changed, regulations relating to workplace safety being a major factor and technological developments like the bucket trucks and diggers making life easier.
It is still a job which requires fitness and dexterity with many jobs not for the faint-hearted, but they say it is a great career and more young people should take it on. The team helped put through many apprentices in its time.
Their parting gift from Scanpower was a steel plaque laser cut to portray a linesman up a pole and framed with timber recycled from old wooden cross-arms from the replaced power poles.
