Posted on:
23 January 2024
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Four Decades of Keeping Water Flowing to Highland Homes
23 January 2024
Long service
Lenny Hunter is retiring after 39 years as a water operative in Inverness.
An Inverness based water operative is set to retire after 39 years of helping keep local residents’ taps running.
Lenny Hunter (63) is saying a fond farewell to Scottish Water after almost four decades of being called on to fix any water supply issues such as burst water mains around the Highland capital and ensuring customers continued to receive fresh, clean drinking water to their homes.
Lenny, who started out in the water industry with Highland Council in the early 1980s and who has worked with colleagues in his team for upwards of 30 years, said it is the people that he will miss the most from the job.
“Without a doubt, it is my colleagues I’ll miss, some of the boys I’ve worked with for decades,” he said. “But I’m getting older and I’ve done my time now, so it is up to the younger ones to keep things going.”
Lenny is quick to offer advice to those apprentices starting with Scottish Water who are looking to complete their training.
“It’s a job for life,” he said. “It still is and that’s not something you can say very often these days. That’s the advice I pass on to our apprentices now – keep your head down, work hard and your future will be bright.”
The one thing that he won’t miss is having to do standby shifts on a regular basis, where you can get called out to jobs at any time of the night or over the weekend.
“In 39 years I don’t think I did a standby shift where the phone didn’t go,” Lenny said. “So I won’t be missing that!”
With his wife Helen also planning to retire next year, the couple is looking forward to spending their retirement travelling, with a big trip to Australia and New Zealand on the cards to mark the occasion.
“We love travelling and seeing different places, so that’s what we will be spending our time doing,” Lenny said.
Lenny Hunter (63) is saying a fond farewell to Scottish Water after almost four decades of being called on to fix any water supply issues such as burst water mains around the Highland capital and ensuring customers continued to receive fresh, clean drinking water to their homes.
Lenny, who started out in the water industry with Highland Council in the early 1980s and who has worked with colleagues in his team for upwards of 30 years, said it is the people that he will miss the most from the job.
“Without a doubt, it is my colleagues I’ll miss, some of the boys I’ve worked with for decades,” he said. “But I’m getting older and I’ve done my time now, so it is up to the younger ones to keep things going.”
Lenny is quick to offer advice to those apprentices starting with Scottish Water who are looking to complete their training.
“It’s a job for life,” he said. “It still is and that’s not something you can say very often these days. That’s the advice I pass on to our apprentices now – keep your head down, work hard and your future will be bright.”
The one thing that he won’t miss is having to do standby shifts on a regular basis, where you can get called out to jobs at any time of the night or over the weekend.
“In 39 years I don’t think I did a standby shift where the phone didn’t go,” Lenny said. “So I won’t be missing that!”
With his wife Helen also planning to retire next year, the couple is looking forward to spending their retirement travelling, with a big trip to Australia and New Zealand on the cards to mark the occasion.
“We love travelling and seeing different places, so that’s what we will be spending our time doing,” Lenny said.
