Marine Harvest honours long-serving staff
Like buses, you wait forever for a long-service award and then two come along at once.
At least that’s been the case for Marine Harvest Scotland, where two employees have reached long-service milestones within a few days of each other.
Last week purchasing manager David McEwan celebrated 40 years with the Fort William-based company, and this week it was the turn of net cleaning boat skipper Kenny John Gillies, who clocked up 35 years with the same employer.
McEwan, still just a young 56, started at Invergarry Hatchery in June 1978 after completing the very first fish farming course at Inverness College, which involved doing five-week blocks at college and five-week blocks with fish farmers. “I did a few blocks with Marine Harvest and that was my ‘in’ for a job,” he said.
He recalls his starting salary was £1,960 – an extra £60 above the standard rate because he’d done the college course.
A trip to Chile in 1994 was a highlight of his career, he said, and that if he had his time again, he’d still choose fish farming. Equipment and resources, and the ability to manage issues, had improved hugely since he joined the industry, he said.
Gillies started his career with Marine Harvest at Portnalong as a farm technician and now skippers the net cleaning boat Stolt Madadh based in Kyle.
Area manager Hugh MacKinnon presented him with his award and a cake, and thanked him for his hard work and dedication to Marine Harvest.
