A hard-working plant operator who has been in the job for 65 years has been celebrated by his employer.
Jack Butcher, now 85 years old, works in the demolition division of Hampshire civil engineering firm HWM Group alongside his son, Paul, who is also a plant operator.
Group director, Adam Blake, said Mr Butcher is well loved by the team and can always be relied on to “get the job done”.
Mr Butcher, who first got employed on a farm at 15, has worked for several companies during his career before joining HWM, including Clancy Plant, RMC Plant and Blaze Construction.
He likes to be on site early and is keen to get going as soon as site is open.
He said he enjoys the early starts which he manages all without the need for an alarm clock.
Mr Butcher did retire for about a week in his 60s but after an impressive 65 years, driving plant machinery is “where his heart is”, a company spokesperson said.
“He doesn’t like being at home, he’s like a caged animal, he’d rather be at work sat in a machine pulling levers,” his son Paul said.
Last month, Mr Butcher completed his Health and Safety knowledge assessment to renew his CSCS Green Card.
He also passed his ‘Client Specific Fit to Work Medical’ examination required by HWM Group’s top clients.
He’s currently driving a Kobelco SK300LC excavator working on HWM sites across Hampshire, Surrey, Dorset and beyond.
“We love having Jack and his son Paul on the HWM team,” said Blake. “Jack more than pulls his weight. His ability to do the job and his reliability as an employee are second to none. He’s a real team asset and we can always count on Jack to get the job done.”
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