45 YEARS WITH ONE FIRM

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28388, 21 September 1957, Page 2

45 YEARS WITH ONE FIRM

Wine And Spirit Trade Manager Retires

A man who hqs worked continuously foil 45 years in Hereford street will re’ire at the end of ‘his mon‘h. He is Mr Dav’d M Lusk, who joined James Shand and Company. Ltd., three months after he arrived from Scotland with his parents in May. 1912. The firm has occunied three premises in Hereford street, and Mr Lusk could diaim at one period that he knew more persons by their first name in the street than anv other man. He began work as a vouth and rose to spend his last four years before reaching the retiring age ’ast September as manager of the company. He was retained in an advisory capacity for the last vear His main regret at leaving the wine and spirit trade will he that he will miss seeing his friends regularly. The biggest change which, Mr Lusk has seen in the trade is that in later years a bigger demand has been made for a wider range of table wines. Compared with still wines, champagne had always been too expensive, he said. Two wars and the depression had been worrying periods. During the 1914-18 war. imports of Scotch whisky were stopped and the trade had to rely on rye whisky from Canada. When it became available again. Scotch whisky ouickly ousted Canadian. In World War 11. trading was difficult. but supplies of Scotch whisky were imported under quota. A keen player of golf, tennis and soccer in his youth—he represented Canterbury at soccer—Mr Lusk's main sporting interest now is racing. He was for many years totalisator clerk in the stewards’ stand at Riccarton, and when he retired the Canterbury Jockey Club presented him- with an inscribed wallet.