Foreman At Goods Shed Retired Yesterday

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30741, 4 May 1965, Page 14

Foreman At Goods Shed Retired Yesterday

Mr J. J. Powell, a member of the goods shed staff at the Christchurch railway station for 35 years, and goods shed foreman for the last four years retired yesterday. Well known to carriers and business firms in the city, Mr Powell plans to spend his retirement concentrating on his two main interests, bowls and gardening. “They’ll keep me pretty busy,” he said. “I couldn’t just lie around idle, I’ve always been pretty active.” Mr Powell has long been interested in bowls. He was the first president of the Canterbury Indoor Bowling Association, and is a life member of the association. Mr Powell was born at Oxford, and worked on a farm there until he joined the Railways Department in Christchurch at the age of 21. All but five of his 40 years with the railways have been spent in Christchurch, and those five years were spent at Arthur’s Pass and Lyttelton. He has always been in the goods branch. As shed foreman he has been in charge of the five Christchurch goods sheds and

the Waltham yard. There had been some hectic times, ho said, particularly a few years ago when waggons were scarce and 1300 under load were at sidings in manv parts of Canterbury. But he has never regretted joining the railway’s.

The greatest Improvement in goods handling during his time had been the introduction of mechanical handling about 12 years ago. He had much to do with the operation of the first fork-lift trucks at Christchurch. At first there was some opposition to them, but they had soon been enthusiastically accepted. The growth of pallet cargoes and the handling of large amounts of bulk operators had greatly speeded operations. He did not know how the service would have got through the last 12 months without the bulk operators, he said. Mr Powell is married, with a grown family, and he and his wife hope to make a tour of the North Island later this year. They would also like to take a trip to Australia and “look around a bit.” he said.