There was a double celebration and a few tears as long term members of the Hohl Plumbing team, Wayne Wieland and Wendy Richards celebrated their retirement.
“Wayne and Wendy are both very well loved by all the staff and customers at Hohl Plumbing and we couldn’t let the occasion go without having a celebration for them. It was a very comical evening that all of the staff and their partners enjoyed,” said Company Director, Tony Hohl.
Wayne and Wendy have given a combined 62 years of service to Hohl Plumbing.
Wayne began working for the company on 26 October 1987.
He has worked for Hohl Plumbing for nearly 36 years and officially retires on 30 June 2023.
As the Store Manager, Wayne has been a wealth of knowledge.
Not only does he know everything there is to know about plumbing but he is also incredibly knowledgeable about pumps and wood heaters.
As a local originally from Rathdowney, Wayne also knows so many people in the community and is very well respected by all who know him.
He has seen a lot of changes in those 36 years and said he has enjoyed his time with the family-owned business.
“The second generation of Hohls were just taking over when I started and now we have third generation in the business but the ideology has stayed the same,” he said.
He has seen the demographic in the area change, with less farmers and more home owners as the region became more urbanised.
“The business has adapted to these changes. Instead of carrying more irrigation parts you carry sink flick mixers instead,” he said.
“I have made a lot of good friends here. We have had a lot of staff in my time and I’ve gotten along with all of them.”
Home renovations are high on the agenda for Wayne in his retirement, but he will remember his time at Hohl Plumbing as a job he enjoyed all his life.
Wendy Richards began working for Hohl Plumbing on 16 September 1997 and retired on 27 May this year, working for Hohl Plumbing for nearly 26 years.
Wendy worked as an Office Clerk, looking after the Job Costing area and ensuring customers were invoiced correctly.
Wendy was known as the prankster of Enterprise Drive, as she was always playing a prank on someone.
She was also the ‘Mother Hen’ of the office and ensured the staff were well looked after and cared for.
“Her kind and generous nature is so missed but most of all her ability to make us all laugh is what we all miss the most,” said Tony.
Wendy is currently visiting her son and his family in America.
