OUTSTANDING loyalty and commitment were celebrated at Nestle last week in Broadford for Cindy Myles who has clocked over 40 years at the lolly factory.
Nestle recognises service milestones at 10, 25 and 40 years with different celebrations for all of them.
At Broadford, when you reach 40 years, you join the 40-year club and have a tree planted with a plaque along with many other celebrations.
The Review spoke to Cindy about her experience over the last four decades, including the highlights, changes and what lolly she misses the most.
“Being recognised for 40 years of service with Nestlé is a huge achievement and something I am really proud of. Not many people get to celebrate that kind of milestone with one company, so it means a lot,” she said.
“On the factory floor there has been change too, but you’d expect that after 40 years and the industry and technology evolve. There is a lot more automation now, which means fewer manual tasks than when I first started — but I don’t think anyone misses that heavier lifting. Safety and food safety have also come a long way, which has been an important and positive change.”
“But even with all that change, the heart of the place has always been the people. The job security, conditions, friendships and feeling of being part of the factory have meant a lot to me.”
40 years wasn’t something that Cindy set out to achieve, but she’s incredibly proud of the milestone, and will continue to keep happily working.
“Nestlé has always been a great place to work. It has provided secure employment and allowed me to have a great life outside of Nestlé as well. I have always appreciated being able to work close to home, and I enjoy the work and the roster hours.”
“For now, I’m happy to keep working in production making some of Australia’s most love lollies. I work on one of the lines that makes Allen’s snakes and pythons, which is a pretty good thing to be able to say. I don’t have any retirement plans just yet. I still enjoy coming to work, and I like being able to mix things up by helping in other parts of the factory when I can.”
A major player in the 40 years has been the countless amount of lollies she’s seen go through production, she told us her favourite and the one she misses the most.
“My favourite is the Peaches and Cream, while I miss the Dusted Jelly Babies, a soft jube, coated in sweet icing sugar.”