'I started working here at 15 - now I'm retiring after 75 years '
For more than 75 years, customers in a small seaside town have been greeted by the same familiar face behind the counter at the local pharmacy.
Now, Sadie Jefferson, who began working in the shop in 1951, has decided to call time on a career spanning more than seven decades in the very same building.
She started working at the pharmacy aged 15, and has cherished memories and friends from her decades of toil.
“I met so many wonderful pharmacists through the years, but for me it was always the people – some of the families in this town that I know span four generations.”
When Jefferson first began working in the pharmacy in Portrush, County Antrim, it was known as JGW Boggs Medical Hall.
Over the decades, the ownership changed several times, becoming RG Macaulay’s, Herons, Lloyds Pharmacy and, eventually, Gordons Chemists.
But despite the name above the door changing, Jefferson has remained a constant presence, serving generations of local families with a smile.
Speaking to BBC News NI, she admitted that retiring after so many years felt quite strange, but said she had absolutely loved every minute of her time in the shop.
Talking about getting her first job, she said: “The pharmacist was looking for someone to work for him, and it was actually my sister who told me to apply.
“To tell you the truth, it was quite hard work back then.
“You had to make up all the medicines, prepare the tablets, and have them ready to go very quickly.”
Jefferson believes the reason she stayed so long was because of the people she worked with, and so many of the lovely customers she got to speak to on a regular basis.
“I’ve known so many of them since they were born, and now some of them are retiring as well,” she said.
Skydiving landings can be a bit tough
Jefferson said a real highlight of her time was the many fundraising opportunities she had.
“I did a skydive when I was 80, well I did two skydives actually, to raise money for the Northern Ireland Hospice,” she said.
“It was fantastic, just an amazing thing to experience, it’s a bit of a shock to the system when you’re up in the plane looking down.
“You just need to watch your ankles, because the landing can be a bit tough.”
Robert Gordon, founder and owner of Gordons Chemist, described her as “a force of nature” and said what struck him upon meeting her was that everyone in Portrush seemed to know her.
“Everybody wants to call in here and say hello to Sadie,” he said.
“Even if they aren’t needing anything, Sadie just seems to have this huge following that has just grown and grown over the years.
“We celebrate milestones here in Gordons. We would throw a little celebration for anyone who has served 25 years with us, but Sadie has been in this shop three times that amount, so it just really is incredible.
“Sadie actually started working in this shop three years before I was even born.”
‘Main Street won’t be the same without Sadie’
Kathryn Dobbin, relief pharmacy manager of Gordons Portrush, said it was a “huge honour” to call Sadie Jefferson a colleague for more than six years.
“Sadie is just a great lady, she has time for everyone, she is so well known to the locals here and I’m so sad to see her go,” she said.
Jenny Elliott from North Coast Travel, a few doors down from the pharmacy, has worked on Main Street for about 30 years and said she would regularly call in.
“Sadie was always so pleasant to deal with, always full of fun, such a lovely lady and also just a real character here in Portrush.”
Karen McMath, who works in Jingles Giftshop Portrush, knows Jefferson personally and said Main Street won’t be the same without her in the pharmacy.
“She is one of the most caring people you could possibly meet and even though she won’t be working I think we will still see her out and about collecting for charities and keeping busy,” she said.
So what are Jefferson’s plan for the future? Well, they don’t include slowing down.
“I am involved with the heritage group here in Portrush, which is all about promoting the town and preserving its history, so I attend that once every month, which is really enjoyable,” she said.
“I also love gardening so I will be doing a lot more of that now and I also love going out for coffee with friends.”
Jefferson said if she could give any advice to any young person about to start a new job it would be to “give it 100%”.
“Just try your best and make sure you are committed is all I can say,” she said.
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