Anne Broughton with son Bevan (left), husband Wright and Tararua District mayor Tracey Collis at the luncheon to mark Anne's 50 years working for the council.
When the Akitio County Council offices needed someone to clean a couple of days a week, Anne Broughton stepped up to the job.
It was 1974. Anne and husband Wright had just had a baby.
Wright was an assistant county clerk at the time.
“So they needed someone to clean those rooms and could they do it on a Tuesday and Thursday night,” Anne says.
“So Wright would be home with our baby and I would go and clean.”
That cleaning job turned into her cleaning the hall as well.
The job suited and when she got other jobs, such as driving a school bus between Pongaroa and Akitio for the past 41 years, they all added up to be full-time work.
By then the couple had two children they would need to be put through college and doing so on one income wasn’t manageable.
“The thought of putting children through college on one wage and pay the rent, you just couldn’t do it.”
Anne’s 50 years of service to the council was recognised with a luncheon at the Pongaroa Hotel, attended not only by Tararua District Council chief executive Bryan Nicholson but also mayor Tracey Collis.
“I was absolutely thrilled that they acknowledged [it] and then to have a luncheon.”
She says that to have both Tracey and Bryan come out was “really humbling”.
“I’m just doing my job. It just gets done.”
She’s seen some changes in the council operations over the 50 years as Akitio County Council amalgamated with Dannevirke County Council in 1976 and then in 1989, all the local councils amalgamated to create Tararua District.
Anne says it didn’t affect her that much, although a few people didn’t want the amalgamation.
“Sometimes there’s no choice,” she says.
Her work still had to be done and people still used the local hall – the only change that affected her was where her timesheets needed to be sent.
Over the years, Anne has taken on several roles.
She has worked for transport companies managing the accounts in the office and has been secretary of the Pongaroa Golf Club for 31 years.
She’s also been a census taker and worked on not only school board elections but also government elections.
“I’ve manned polling booths here and in Weber.
“I’ve run them, but now I’m quite happy to be just the worker.”
While there are plenty of new people coming to the district who could take on those sorts of jobs, Anne says she likes to challenge herself.
“I think I’ll just give it one more go and I get the job. That’s pretty humbling.”
At 71, Anne doesn’t see herself stopping work just yet, although she’s sure she’ll know when it’s time to do that.
“I haven’t quite thought that far ahead.”
The flower show has been going 15 years.