Maurice Chester pictured at Newark Livestock Market, celebrating his 86th birthday.
Veteran salesman Maurice Chester remains a best-seller for steelwork company Robinson Agriculture – at the grand old age of 86!
The great-grandfather from Boston, Lincolnshire, continues to work as a freelance salesman for the company, which specialises in manufacturing farm buildings, despite being long past retirement age.
He still works at least two days a week, spending Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the livestock markets at Melton Mowbray and Newark dealing with building projects for the company’s many farm clients.
To mark his 86th birthday, Robinson project development manager Edward Gregory presented Maurice with a special birthday cake. He says: "Maurice has helped hundreds of our clients create new buildings and extend existing ones; many of them returning to him again and again over the years because he provides such excellent advice and support. His expertise is second to none and he is regarded with immense respect by the farming community. We’re absolutely delighted that he’s still working with us, and wanted take the opportunity to thank him for the tremendous service he gives both ourselves and our clients."
Maurice, who began his career in the construction industry, started working for Robinson in 1984 after being made redundant from his previous job at a local concrete company. "My grandfather was a farmer and I’ve always found it interesting working with the farming community," he says. "The best thing about the job is going out and meeting people. You talk to them, and over time, I’ve made a lot of friends. There are some people that I’ve been working with for nearly 30 years, ever since I started. Robinson themselves have been more like a family to me than an employer. When I was 70, I told the company that I’d like to carry on working and we agreed that instead of retiring I’d carry on working on a self-employed basis. I still enjoy the job and in my view, older workers have a lot to offer businesses. You gain a lot of experience and knowledge over the years and it’s a pity if that is lost."
Maurice lives in the Fishtoft area of Boston with wife June and has eight children, 17 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.