Green Dollars full of good sorts, says Keith

The last decade of Keith Sawyer's working life has been filled with "good sorts".

Mr Sawyer retired last week, after having served 12 years as the community co-ordinator for the Wairarapa Green Dollar Exchange -- and being farewelled to choruses of For He's a Jolly Good Fellow from exchange members.

Before becoming co-ordinator, he worked for three decades as a secondary school teacher -- and was only looking for casual work when he stumbled across the job advertisement.

Since then, Mr Sawyer has learned computer skills, organised outdoor markets, tutored English in return for veggies, helped plan a wedding, written newspaper columns and met "a huge variety" of people.

But what has stuck out most is being a personal witness to the "very best" of the Wairarapa community, and of human nature.

"The people I have met have been exclusively generous, thoughtful and sensitive, and go out of their way to help without expecting any financial reward," he said.

"You see mostly bad news on TV -- except that Good Sorts section on TV One.

"Well, Green Dollars is full of good sorts.

"It reminds you most people are good -- they just don't always make the headlines."

Born in the UK, Mr Sawyer began teaching in the 1960s, working in Nottingham before accepting a job teaching English at Wairarapa College in 1972.

At first, Mr Sawyer and his wife had "no intention" of remaining in New Zealand.

"I think we planned to head to Canada afterwards.

"Turns out, I stayed at Waicol until 2003."

After retiring from teaching, Mr Sawyer learned of the exchange co-ordinator job, posted at the Wairarapa Community Centre.

He was then unfamiliar with the concept of local currencies -- earning "dollars" by providing skills and products to group members, which can be spent on other members' goods and services.

"I'd never heard of either Green Dollars or the Community Centre.

"But I was curious."

One Mr Sawyer's first tasks was learning to use a computer -- as he'd been "living in a technological black hole".

He went on to introduce the international trading online database to the Wairarapa exchange, prepare a newsletter, organise the monthly markets, and facilitate relationships between traders.

He said he enjoyed working with "a big cross-section of society".

"Schools are actually very closed communities -- your life is governed by routine and bells ringing, but this was much more open.

"It's encouraging -- you see people who want to help themselves, without sitting and waiting for handouts.

One of his favourite memories is helping organise a wedding for a Masterton couple in four days -- with the food, photography, flowers, hair and makeup, cleaning and honeymoon cottage provided by Green Dollars members.

"That is what encapsulates the spirit of Green Dollars -- helping people at a moment's notice."

Now retired, Mr Sawyer looks forward having time with his "3.75" grandchildren.