Palmerston North 74-year-old cleaner Lindsay Sedgwick not ready to retire

Palmerston North cleaner Lindsay Sedgwick, 74, says his job keeps his brain and body ticking over. Photo / Judith Lacy

At 74 years old, not much could stop lively Palmerston North resident Lindsay Sedgwick from getting to his daily cleaning job at BestStart Hokowhitu.

He moved to the city from Australia in 2013 to retire with his Kiwi partner Maureen. However, Sedgwick couldn't resist keeping busy so applied to work for OCS New Zealand.

He's been working at the early childhood centre for about five years.

"It's a very satisfying job. It keeps me fit and healthy and gives me something to do. It's an important job to do and as long as I enjoy it, I will keep on doing it," he says.

October 20 is Thank Your Cleaner Day and Sedgwick, along with the 3500 frontline OCS cleaners across New Zealand, will be thanked for their hard work to keep our schools, malls, supermarkets, airports, workplaces and public spaces clean and hygienic.

Now in its sixth year, Thank Your Cleaner Day is a global initiative celebrating the more than 40,000 Kiwis who dedicate their working hours to keeping our work, recreation and learning environments clean.

"Last year on Thank Your Cleaner Day I got a box of chocolates and a key ring made by the kids, so I feel that the work I do is really valued," Sedgwick says.

In Australia, he was an industrial truck driver and says although cleaning wasn't
something he thought he would get into, it's a satisfying job that keeps him busy.

He works two hours a night and says it's a way to make sure he doesn't sit down for too long not doing anything.

"It keeps the brain ticking over and the body ticking over."

For more about Thank Your Cleaner Day and to download collateral such as thank you cards, visit thankyourcleanerday.co.nz.