Pauline Treleaven started activities at the Mentally Handicapped Society in Whyalla as a 20-year-old, sitting and watching television and sometimes flying kites.
Ms Treleaven is being honored on International Day for People with Disabilities as one of Bedford Industries' longest-serving workers who contributed to the Whyalla community 47 years later.
Bedford is South Australia's biggest employer of persons with disabilities, with 148 clients spread over 17 locations, 38 of whom have been with the company for more than 40 years.
Ms Treleaven said that as a child, she did not believe she would ever have a career.
She now works three mornings a week, at the age of 70, packing components for hardware flat boxes.
She added proudly that they’ve been doing a lot of excellent stuff.
However, it is not just about the work.
Ms Treleaven said that she recently turned 70 — she don't have any parents, her parents have both passed away, and she lives on her own, but she has friends who support me.
They take me shopping and sometimes cook for me.
They go out as a group on Friday evenings.
Wendy Anderson, a Bedford Whyalla training officer, said Ms. Treleaven's job had given her confidence.
Ms Anderson said that Ms. Treleaven lives on her alone now that her father has gone away, and it's [working] a fantastic social outlet for her and a good way to know that she's OK at home.
According to Vassil Malandris, Bedford's communications officer, the disability job sector is recognised in the community.
He remarked that over the years, they’ve seen increased openness and acceptance of disability," he remarked.
They’re evolving into a social supply chain. It's an exciting moment, as seen by the expressions on our customers' faces.
They’re targeting the correct markets; for example, in Port Lincoln, they’re concentrating on collaborations with the fishing industry.
They’ve put up a gin distillery in our Panorama main office, and we're already dehydrating fruit.
'There's a genuine buzz in the air,' says one.
Partnerships with local governments and companies have increased the visibility of persons with disabilities in the community.
Mr Malandris added that there's a lot less shame associated with persons with disabilities these days.
Once upon a time, Bedford felt the need to thank all of these companies for providing them with employment, but now it's the businesses who are thanking them.
There's a lot of talk about business responsibility these days.
He said that this ensured the customers were not separated from the community.
He said that they feel that they don't only work for Bedford, but they also have a very important role to play for these businesses with which we collaborate.
It gives them a genuine thrill.
