Tim Kerwin, a 30 year old born and raised in Waiuku, is the new General Manager for the Glenbrook Vintage Railway.
Tim has been at the Glenbrook station since he was ten years old and the station’s provided a lot of guidance for him. “I was a bit of a hell-raiser,” said Tim, “but I always wanted to be a train driver. I applied to Kiwi Rail when I was 17 and became a ‘shunter’ and worked my way up from there.” By the time Tim was 18 he was driving trains and was the youngest person in the Southern Hemisphere to do so.
Tim did 13 years work with Kiwi Rail before leaving to become the Operations Manager at Glenbrook Vintage Railway and now, three years on, is the general manager.
Tim wanted this role because he feels emotionally attached to the place. Reflecting on his life Tim says “Glenbrook Vintage Railway gave me a start. It provided so much guidance and everything I’ve achieved has been made possible through what it taught me.”
Tim now says that “the station is at a make or break point really. We either scale back what we’re doing or we build on it.”
In his new role Tim hopes to engage with everybody in the community and region. Tim says, “It’s a huge task really. Anybody can manage but to lead is a skill. The people around me are the assets and I’m just here to lead.” After the initial consolidation his aim is to provide a gateway to tourism. “We want to work with the region and engage with everyone to provide a real gateway to tourism,” said Tim.
Tim loves the ‘giving back’ feeling at the Glenbrook Vintage Railway Station. “There is nothing stronger than the heart of passion to volunteer. Nothing matches that. I get to live off people’s dreams which is pretty cool!”
Tim is also very conscious of future generations and their involvement with the railway station. The team has developed training to keep the younger generations interested and now, of all the people that volunteer at the station on a Saturday and Sunday, 60 percent are under the age of 35.
If anybody is interested in volunteering at the Glenbrook Vintage Railway they can contact Tim at tim.kerwin@gvr.org.nz or via the GVR website.
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Feb