Wendy Davies: From Junior Typist to Council Veteran

Published on 28 June 2024

Wendy Davies, who started her career as the youngest City of Horsham employee in 1976, is about to retire after an impressive 48 years with Council.

Hired by Town Clerk Arch Conn, 17-year-old Wendy began her journey as a junior typist, riding her Kawasaki motorcycle to work at the Horsham Town Hall building. Her early days included responsibility for pushing a staff refreshments trolley around the town hall building, providing cups of tea and coffee for the all-male staff.

In those days, most workers smoked in their offices, and there were absolutely no computers. Wendy recalls the challenges of working with a dodgy typewriter that “would type up a hill and was a bit untidy”.

She also used a Gestetner, an early, hand-operated version of a photocopier, which could manage just six or seven carbon copies of documents at a time.

Wendy’s responsibilities extended beyond typing and photocopying. She helped with immunisations at the town hall, delivered cheques to employees and council’s suppliers, and crossing off voters at the town hall during elections.

One of Wendy’s significant roles was in the area of Horsham’s sewerage and water management, which was under the remit of the Council. She was responsible for adding water meter readings and rates to the bills of the residents.

Wendy marvels at how far customer service technology has come. She remembers when people used to line up down the footpath when there was a deadline for payment of rates or animal registrations. Now, the processes are much faster, and the need for manual calculations of rates instalments is a thing of the past.

Wendy’s positive attitude and willingness to adapt to change have allowed her to thrive in Local Government. She believes that working without computers or modern technology gave her a good grounding.

As she retires to spend more time with her family and enjoy the city she has served for nearly half a century, Wendy leaves behind a legacy of dedication, adaptability, and a deep knowledge of the area and its people.

Her journey from junior typist to council veteran is a testament to her commitment to the Horsham municipality and its residents.