THE PARKIE WIN25 - Magazine - Page 35
Have we found Victoria’s
HOLIDAY PARKS
longest serving caravan park employee?
Have we found Victoria’s longest serving caravan park employee? Bellarine Bayside’s
Holiday Park Manager Wayne ‘Pud’ Trewin has been employed by the same organisation for
more than 45 years.
Pud’s journey started when, as a 17-year-old, he scored
a job as an apprentice gardener with the Portarlington
Reserve Committee, starting work on 23 June 1980. He
has seen many changes across the years.
Portarlington Holiday Park is now part of Bellarine
Bayside Foreshore Committee of Management, a coastal
committee of management formed by the amalgamation
of smaller committees managing camping reserves in St
Leonards and Indented Head in the early 1990s.
It’s a modern beachside caravan park offering just under
900 tourist and annual sites and all the facilities you could
ask for, including its own private boat ramp and jetty.
Annual sites are sought after and regular guests queue
early for their prime site when seasonal sites are released
in April.
So, what has changed since Pud started in 1980?
“It was very simple. Half the toilet blocks didn’t have roofs.
There was no water to the sites. People had to fill up their
bucket of water at the standpipes to take back to their
campsite.”
The cost per site was $16 for up to six people – an amount
considered expensive by couples camping at the time,
but cheap for larger families, which have always been the
biggest guest cohort.
While the holiday park continues to provide a laid-back
summer holiday, with just a walking track separating
campers from the beach, the camping style has changed.
Caravans, and cars, have have become bigger and
the number of people with a boat and/or a jet ski has
increased exponentially, meaning space is at a premium.
The influx of tourists over summer more than doubles the
town’s population, and it’s up to Pud and his team to make
sure the 5000 plus guests are happy and respectful of
the rules in place to ensure everyone enjoys their holiday.
Talking to Pud, and seeing him interact with his team, it’s
evident he strikes a balance between approachability
and authority. Beneath his friendly demeanour is a strong
sense of structure and purpose.
“I believe I’m good at working with people and people
respect me. I’ve been here so long that if there’s any
issues in the park, I seem to be able to iron them out.
You’ve got to know how to approach it.
“I’ve got a few annuals I’ve known for more than 40 years,
and I tell them, don’t ask me to do anything for you that
I can’t do for anyone else. That’s the way it’s got to be.
I stick by that and tell my staff to as well. That way you
won’t get yourself into trouble.”
The reason for his longevity as a park employee is his
focus on work and lifestyle.
CARAVAN & RESIDENTIAL PARKS VICTORIA
WINTER 2025
Pud with colleagues (from left) Phil Jones,
Paul McConachy and Roger Dyson
“The goal I’ve made, and that I’ve always said to all my
bosses, is that I make this place work for me as much as I
work for it,” Pud said.
“It’s not a high paying role and I’ve never done it for the
money, I’ve done it for lifestyle.”
That includes being a 200 plus game player for
Portarlington Football Club and being able to get away
to enjoy his passion for fishing. He has also been able to
raise his own family in the town he was born and grew
up in.
From actively cleaning the park and amenities, including
the garbage collection which was “good exercise for
playing footy” to managing those who now do the work,
Pud has seen and done it all.
While working in the park, Pud was also lucky enough to
meet and fall in love with a Dawn, who he has been with
for 44 years and married for 34.
Looking to the future, Pud, who turns 63 this year, said
his retirement plans included travel and fishing. And
enjoying his first Christmas off in 45 years. Although he
admits he would be happy to still do “on the tools” relief
work at caravan parks along the way.
So, what has he learnt over the years that might benefit
others?
“If you’ve got a rule, be consistent with it. If you clean
the toilets at a certain time, make sure you do as there’s
nothing worse than a sign saying a toilet will be cleaned
at 7am but it’s not done until 9am.
“People will work with consistency so it’s also important
to make sure all staff are consistent on rules and
messaging.”
Congratulations to Pud on his 45 years!
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