Spending 50 years at the same company is a rarity these days, but Repco’s Gary Morgan has bucked the trend.
Morgan, who has worked as a storeman for various incarnations of the company since September 1968, said goodbye to his distribution centre workmates at a farewell lunch marking his 50-year stint last month.
“For the most part, I have really enjoyed the job and friendships developed with work colleagues.
“It also offered job security for me and my family.”
He started off with the business when it was known as Motor Traders, before it was acquired by Andrews & Bevan, followed by Motospecs and finally Repco.
Morgan has spent more than half that time in Mt Wellington, but also worked in Newmarket, Mt Eden and Wiri for the company.
Along with the name variations, there has been plenty of changes in how parts are shipped out during his five decades.
“We used to have invoices and checklists to keep track of the parts, but a lot of that has been taken over by technology.
“It’s definitely faster and better in most respects.
You’ve just got to move with the times.”
Another change Morgan had to get used to was the introduction of a company uniform several years ago.
They replaced his beloved blue coats that were worn to protect employees’ personal clothes.
“I had plenty of coats, but once the new uniform came in, my wife made me put them in one of those charity clothing bins.”
Morgan estimates he has seen about 25 different managers at various levels come and go over the years, with current distribution centre manager Dene Osborne one of his favourites.
“When Dene came into the company in 2006, he was walking around the warehouse after he had just been appointed warehouse manager.
“I was the first one to go up and shake hands with him.
Everyone can get pretty nervous when a new manager comes in.”
For 46 of his years at the company, Morgan has been a union delegate, before stepping down earlier this year.
At 68, Morgan is happy to have reached the 50-year milestone, but says it’s time to call it a day.
“It’s getting harder for me to do the job.
Age is definitely a factor.
“I want to go out while I’m still reasonably on top of it.
I want to spend time with my grandkids and follow some other interests like yoga and rugby.”
The death of two workmates this year has also confirmed to Morgan that he’s making the right decision.
He faced his own battle with mortality more than a decade ago, when he developed a life-threatening form of leukaemia.
Treatment included six months of chemotherapy and an uncertain prognosis about whether he would survive.
However, he remains grateful of the support he received from Repco.
“Repco management were wonderful and retained my employment throughout the illness, which was a relief as my wife had to give up her job during that time to care for me.”
Repco look after their older employees well, with initiatives like allowing them to work four days a week.
“They offered that option a few years ago and I took it up.
It’s helped me reach the 50-year mark.”
Osborne says Morgan has been a respected member of the team during his time with the company.
“Gary has always shown integrity and loyalty and we sincerely wish him a fulfilling retirement.”
