Blue Sky Pastures worker Ken McLeod retired recently after 64 years in the industry.
Mr McLeod, 80, said at his farewell morning tea he was told by union officials it was likely there was no other union member who had stayed in the industry as long as him.
He worked boning meat for 56 years but more recently has been trimming cuts of meat.
He kept working because he enjoyed what he was doing, Mr McLeod said.
His first job was at the Southland Frozen Meat Company’s Makarewa Works, in 1962, when he was 16 years old.
His father had a trucking business and expected Mr McLeod would work for him.
However, Mr McLeod was not keen as his uncle and grandfather had both been killed in work-related truck crashes.
When he refused the offer and said he was going to the meat works, his father laughed.
"He said, ‘what’s wrong with you?"’
It was in the days when the union was strong and the workers were paid what he considered a "colossal" amount.
When he received his first pay he thought he’d "robbed a bank".
It was in the 1988 offseason that he was offered a job at Blue Sky Meats, now Blue Sky Pastures, which operated all-year-round.
He was told he could return to Makarewa when work resumed at the plant, but he never did.
Blue Sky "were the best bunch of people I worked with".
It was not long before he was involved with the meatworkers union at Blue Sky and about a year later became the sub-branch president.
He told the workers he would keep talking day and night to find agreement with the company rather than stop work.
"I’m a work and negotiate man — the days of strikes are gone."
He agreed to fill the role for three years but ended up doing 28.
"Every time I wanted to resign, people said, ‘no, you’re doing a good job’."
He was proud of his time in the union, but there were some tough times when union members striked.
"They did some terrible things in the 70s. Rolling strikes and you name it."
There had been many health and safety improvements throughout his time.
When he first started, the meat was cut up on blocks, which meant handling a quarter of a beef carcass.
This was hard work, but later the carcasses were hung on chain lines, making it much easier.
he said there were not as many injury cuts now, but repetitive strain injuries still happened.
"We’ve got physios come out to work that really help people get back to good health and working again.
"Things like that have been phenomenal."
In the early days the workers only changed their work clothes twice a week.
"Your clothes would stink."
Once the plant had a laundry, the workers had clean clothes each day.
His wife Barri had been very supportive through the years, he said.
At his farewell, he was presented with a work shirt signed by all who worked at the site.
Among other gifts he was also given a set of filleting knives and an electric fishing reel.
One of the managers, who was also being farewelled, played the bagpipes and piped Mr McLeod into the gathering.
"I was just blown away, I really was."
He still had one more assignment to complete at Blue Sky.
For many years he had left his female co-workers a Christmas lily each in their changing rooms before they arrived at work as Christmas Day approached.
He had always admired and respected the women, he said.
"They are really good workers and hard workers and good people."
It had been a cheap exercise in the days when there were only six of them, but now there are about 50.
However, he had promised to deliver the flowers one more time.
He was enjoying his retirement and catching up on the many jobs that had been put on hold while he was working.
