Sports, singing, and sorting – our multi-talented Foodie in Dunedin DC celebrates 30-year career
Between work, football, cricket and choir, Lindsay Neilson has juggled it all and recently celebrated a 30-year work anniversary with Foodstuffs South Island!
Lindsay works in the Dunedin Distrubution Centre and started as a store person with Foodies back in April 1993, when the role required the team to pick orders by pen and paper and pickfaces weren’t labeled. It was a matter of memory to know where to go to collect the correct product, Lindsay recalls.
Over the years, Lindsay has been involved in the teams that introduced licensing and plating of inwards goods for storage and was also involved in the Dunedin DC expansion in 2002.
Lindsay currently assists in the daily operation of the DC control room, ensuring everything in the warehouse is done in the correct order and on time.
“No two days are the same,” Lindsay says.
“The variety of the job and the people you work with, the friendships and camaraderie, make it a great place to work.”
Dunedin Distribution Centre Manager Gareth Weatherston congratulated Lindsay on his 30 year anniversary with Foodstuffs South Island.
“It’s great to have hard-working, dedicated team members like Lindsay who has brought a lot of knowledge, value and commitment to the job and his team.”
Outside of work, Lindsay keeps incredibly busy as a volunteer in cricket and football. In the last decade, he’s held roles as a scorer in domestic and international cricket matches – his personal highlights include being involved in the New Zealand vs India, and NZ vs Sri Lanka matches. In 2017, he was made a Life Member of his local club, Kaikorai, and is also a Life Member of his football club, Mornington AFC.
Lindsay is also a member of the Royal Dunedin Male Choir which he’s been part of for the past 21 years. Choir rehearsals are held once a week when the group belt out a wide variety of old classics including the likes of Billy Joel and Queen. They get together to perform twice a year at mid-winter and end of year Christmas celebrations, filling up the fantastic venues they perform in, such as St Paul’s Cathedral, with their joy and resonance.
Working at Foodies has enabled him to pursue all of his extracurricular activities, something that Lindsay is grateful for.
“Between work and all my other commitments, sometimes it’s hard to fit it all in, but it’s good to have the support of my boss and my workplace to have a good work-life balance,” Lindsay says.
The one thing Lindsay says has been constant during his career is change.
“There’s been a lot of change over the past 30 years, and there will be even more change in the next few years which is exciting,” Lindsay says.
“Not many people like too much change but I don’t mind it because it keeps you busy and it’s a challenge.
“It’s important to be resilient, to get involved, and be open to opportunities and to take things as they come,” he says.
If you’re keen to start a career with Foodies or find out about what’s on offer, visit our Working at Foodies webpage. We look forward to hearing from you.