Cannery at heart of community

ANYONE who has worked at the Nestle Factory has a story or two to tell and in the lead up to a reunion, memories from the early years are resurfacing.
Dot Murphy’s life is intrinsically linked with the factory – her father Bill Duke was factory manager for many years and she also worked there “on and off”.
Her late husband Ray also worked at the factory, as did her current partner, Terry.
“Dad worked in Brunswick and was asked to come and run Pakenham. Mum said ‘if I can have a cow and a few chooks, I will come’ and when we arrived there was a cow and some chooks.”
Ms Murphy likes hearing stories of her father, who died of a heart attack when she was young, including going out to the pea paddocks to determine when they were ready for picking and pitching in to help at the factory when needed.
She has many personal memories of life at the factory, as a young girl and as a worker.
“There are lots of fond memories,” she said.
“Everyone has their own memories.”
She recalls men swimming in the bins used for cooling the cans.
“They had to run when they heard us coming because they were only wearing jocks,” Ms Murphy said.
“As a kid you would see a little truck going past and yell out, ‘chuck us some peas’ and the driver would reach behind and throw some peas out. Everyone remembers the trucks going past.”
Former factory manager Des McKenna worked at the Pakenham site for 20 years, until his retirement in 1986.
“It was really a wonderful group of people and I really enjoyed the years I spent with them,” he said.
“We were a bit like a family and a lot of them would still feel that way about it.”
In the early years, Mr McKenna said the employment at the factory helped develop the area.
“Pakenham was the mainstay of the area for many many years,” he said.
“There were only two major employers in the place – the shire and the factory – until O’Connors Abattoir started up.”
Ms Murphy has taken a keen interest in the history of the factory, collecting photos and memorabilia, and is organising the reunion on Sunday 24 March.
“It is a good opportunity for people to catch up with old friends and it will be nice to have a catch up,” she said.
“There is a lot of interest and we’re hoping it will be a bit of a day.”
Former and present staff are welcome to attend and bring along old photos or memorabilia.
The reunion will be held at 1pm on Sunday 24 March at the Nar Nar Goon Football Club.
Women are asked to bring a place of food to share and men will be asked to contribute $2 to the cost of the venue.
For more information, contact Dot Murphy on 0439 950 486.