Garden centre loses a tall tree
MELANIE VERRAN
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After 50 years of working in the garden industry David Bruce has decided to call it a day.
Mr Bruce, 78, worked his last day at the Palmers Garden Centre in Remuera last Thursday.
He says the realisation that he is nearing 80 made him think "it's about time I did something other than work".
"I think I've been here long enough now," he says. "The thought of being 80 next year brings you to a dead halt. You imagine you'd have both feet in the grave by that stage."
The qualified horticulturist was head-hunted by Frank M Winston Merchants in 1960 to be a sales representative travelling the north island to sell seeds.
The company has since changed hands four times – from Winston to Equity Corp to Botanics to Mitre 10 to Palmers – but Mr Bruce has stayed on.
In 1980 he was asked to manage the Remuera garden centre, which he did for seven or eight years. In recent years he has been on the information desk sharing his knowledge with customers.
Manager Viola Wood says he will be greatly missed. "So many people come in or call us and ask for David. We're definitely going to miss him here."
One thing Mr Bruce will not miss though is the traffic on the drive from the North Shore. On his last day it was worse than ever before.
"It was like the roads were saying: `Look what you're going to miss out on'," he says.
Before studying horticulture at Massey University, Mr Bruce served on the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
He was born in India and lived there until he was 14, when he moved to England for school. He emigrated to New Zealand aged 18 and joined the first compulsory military training.
His childhood in India has instilled in him a passion for travel – a passion which he now has more time to explore.
In May he and wife Janet will tour Europe, and Los Angeles on the way home.
"We've got to see Disneyland because neither of us have been there and we'll probably see Universal Studios as well," Mr Bruce says.
"It's going to seem a little bit strange. Normally when you go on holiday you know you're going back to work again. Now I'm going on a permanent holiday."
- © Fairfax NZ News
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