Tara Murray
Two long-serving transport workers were recognised last week in a ceremony at the Transdev Melbourne Sunshine West depot.
David Reeve (55 years of service) and John Dussi (50 years of service) were given a guard of honour and bus-shaped cakes to celebrate their milestones.
The celebrations had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both men, who started working trams before becoming bus drivers, said they were a bit embarrassed about the fuss that had been made about the milestones.
Mr Reeve said driving a bus had become a big part of his life, which allowed him to have a great life with his kids and a wonderful woman who has stood by him through good and bad.
“It has been a long time,” he said. “I’ve spent a large part of my life driving buses and talking to people.
“You get to meet a lot of people through the industry and you always get a lot of respect from people. You miss that a little bit today on buses and trams.”
Mr Reeve, who is the company’s longest serving bus driver, said he thought about retiring a few years ago, but kept going so he and his partner could travel.
He said he was now looking at retiring early next year.
Mr Dussi said he originally thought he would be in the transport industry for a couple of months before moving onto something else.
“They’re a good lot of people and you get to know everyone,” he said.
“You have no one breathing down your neck each day and you are in charge. And I love driving, even when I go on holidays.”
Mr Dussi said you get to meet some great people. He said one group of old ladies were pretty special.
He regularly drove one of them to church. He was touched to find out that when she died she had arranged for a box of chocolates to be sent to the Sunshine West depot as a thank you gesture to all the drivers.
“There’s one or two per cent of people who are rat bags, but most are good people,“ he said.
