When Willie Cameron made his first delivery of potatoes at the age of 15 he didn’t expect the job to be one he would stick at for too long.
But since that day in 1958 he has become an unsung hero of the region’s most popular industries – regularly dropping off sackfuls of spuds to 90 chip shops in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
And his work in the vegetable trade even led to him meeting his wife, Joyce, at his employer’s head office.
Now, aged 75 and having just completed his final delivery, Mr Cameron is reflecting on a stunningly long career.
The Aberdeen man said: “When I first started, I knew I wanted to be a lorry driver.
“But, at that stage, I didn’t think I would last 60 years.
“I have enjoyed the routine of the job and working with loyal customers though, and getting a new lorry every few years has been a highlight too.”
It was shortly after leaving school that Mr Cameron started working for wholesalers, Gorrod David Kemp Walker and Co.
The company, which now trades under the name William Fraser Potato Merchants, is one of the oldest in Aberdeen, having operated since 1888.
Mr Cameron, 75, left the company at the end of last month after decades of valuable service.
He was invited to the delivery side of William Fraser after initially starting work at the company’s pet shop in King Street. He then progressed to delivering grain, feed and oatmeal across the north-east.
More recently Mr Cameron, born in Aberdeen, has been delivering potatoes to chip shops across the whole region and has supplied many well-known restaurants since starting at the company.
Stuart Devine, operations manager at the Ashvale fish and chip shop, praised Mr Cameron for his dedicated delivery work through the years and in all weathers.
He said: “He’s a very valuable deliveryman, who delivers our second most important food. He has always been extremely reliable and has done a sterling job over the years.”
In 1970 Mr Cameron met future-wife Joyce in the company’s Market Street office. The pair are still happily married with two sons.
Mr Cameron has a deep loyalty to the city of Aberdeen according to Jon Halliwell, general manager at William Fraser.
He said: “He’s never been abroad or been on a plane. The drivers even have a joke that his nose would start bleeding if he ever went south of Aberdeen.”
Mr Halliwell has valued Mr Cameron’s service over the years and said he will be very much missed.
“There’s not a place in Aberdeen he doesn’t know,” he said.
“He’s well known in the community for being hardworking, loyal and friendly. His work is his life.”
Now that he is retired, Mr Cameron plans to spend more time catching up on house maintenance and tending to his garden.
