PRESENTATION

Southland Times, Issue 21099, 3 June 1930, Page 4

PRESENTATION

POPULAR RAILWAY GUARD. MR CHARLES GREEN HONOURED. It is not the privilege of many civil servants to spend practically the period of their service in one district. With the exception of a year or so at Christchurch and a few months at Invercargill, this has been the experience of Mr Charles Green, who retired from the Railway Department last week after 40 years’ service with the Department. Mr Green commenced his service at Riversdale as a junior porter just over 40 years ago, and last week he retired on superannuation. During the past 22 years Mr Green has been a guard on the Gore-Waikaka line, with a run on the Waimea line to meet the Kingston-Gore train. To all intents and purposes, Mr Green on the Waikaka line has been guard, porter, stationmaster and traffic manager. He has been known by every farmer in the Waikaka district and every family as well.

It was only fitting that the members of the local railway staff should take an official farewell of Mr Green, and to this end as many as could be spared from work assembled in the stationmaster’s office on Saturday afternoon. Mr J. W. Smith presided and said Mr Green had left a fine record behind him. A railwayman’s job was scarcely ever done, and, generally speaking, they had little time in their own homes. The speaker had known Mr Green for about four years, and he found it was four years of loyal service to the Department. He could congratulate Mr Green on having such qualifications, and he was glad to say that more than one Waikaka district farmer had spoken to him in high terms of Mr Green’s work as a railway officer. The speaker then asked Mr Green’s acceptance, on his own and his wife’s behalf, of a case of stainless cutlery, and wished them many years of joy and happiness in their retirement. Happy references to Mr Green's work were also made by Messrs W. Wilson, W. J. Blackmore and J. Donaldson. Mr Green suitably replied.