Seasonal workers all find accommodation

Dunedin couple Morgan Bickley and Hannah McCrostie are spending a month in Alexandra working on...
Dunedin couple Morgan Bickley and Hannah McCrostie are spending a month in Alexandra working on the orchards. Their home is a tent and gazebo beside the Fraser River, at Fraser Reserve, Earnscleugh. Photo by Diane Brown.
Seasonal workers in Alexandra have all found a place to sleep, thanks in no small part to the generosity of Alexandra residents.

Summerfruit Orchards Human Resource manager Martin McPherson put out a call last week for accommodation for the 100 workers he was expecting, as he had no accommodation for them.

He had asked residents to offer a spare room if they had one for the workers.

He was offered 30 rooms but he has not had to use them all as many of the workers coming in either had camper vans or preferred to sleep in tents.

"The response has been brilliant and now everybody's got a roof over their head, whether it is a tent, a camper van or a very comfortable homestay," Mr McPherson said.

Dunedin couple Morgan Bickley and Hannah McCrostie have chosen to tent for the month they are in Alexandra.

The pair are working at Summerfruit Orchards and are camping at the Fraser Reserve off Earnscleugh Rd.

"If you are going to be fruit picking you might as well be in the scene," Ms McCrostie said.

Her parents live about 10 minutes away, so they are able to stock up on ice for the Chilly Bin, have hot showers and "get the leftovers", Mr Bickley said.

He enjoys camping and cooking their evening meal on their barbecue.

They are well set up with a tent for sleeping and a large gazebo covered in on two sides with shade cloth as their `outdoor lounge'.

The Fraser River runs at their "back door" and the large trees on the reserve provide some welcome shade from the 30degC temperatures they were experiencing yesterday.

 

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