Haydn hangs up her pots

While 27 years may not seem all that long to work at a place that has been open since 1858, for Haydn Smith, it has felt like a lifetime.The 71 year-old will be retiring from Bendigo Pottery tomorrow and will miss it dearly.“I have thoroughly enjoyed my job and meeting different people,” she said. “I just felt it was time to spend more time with the family.”In 1984, Haydn began working at Bendigo Pottery as tour guide for the factory and later became a sales assistant in the shop.When Sally Thomson took over the business 11 years ago, she said “Haydn came with the place”.“She had great product and historical knowledge.”In the past 27 years, Haydn has made many friends and clearly finds it difficult to be leaving.With tears in her eyes, Haydn says she will miss the companionship of her colleagues most of all. “I have some really lovely memories of Bendigo Pottery,” she said.