Meet a woman who’s spent more than four decades of her life working at the same Borders factory - and isn’t ready to give up yet!
Moira Henderson, who turned 60 on September 13 2015, notched up 42 years at Greenvale’s potato business in Duns in November, making her easily the longest-serving employee.
And the production team member is in good company, since three of her siblings also work at Greenvale.
Moira, who lives in Berwick, recalls that her working life started in the kitchen of the town’s Castle Hotel, where she cooked and washed dishes for two years.
But in 1973 she applied for a job at the plant, then run as the family concern ES Black. “It was just going to be a stopgap, but I liked it... and I stayed!”
The business had only about 50 staff then, a quarter of today’s total. The other main change for Moira is the introduction of technology and computerisation to the process of selecting, washing and packing potatoes.
“Back then, we did almost everything by hand. The work’s still fairly hard, but not nearly as manual. Things have changed, but I’ve always enjoyed working here,” she says.
Moira points to the fact that, even while the business has expanded significantly since she started, there’s still a family atmosphere at Greenvale.
Two of her three brothers – John and David – and sister Lillie, also work at the factory, while her other brother, George, works at a nearby fish factory. “Between the family members, we’re always OK for making fish and chips!” she laughs.
And when will she be ready to hang up her hat and hairnet? “Oh, not for a while, we’ll see how it goes,” she says.
