Hamilton Bros employee takes his leave after 46 years

Hamilton Brothers bid farewell to one of their longtime employees last Friday.
A retirement luncheon was held for Don Prentice, who is retiring after 46 years on the job.
Prentice, 76, did a number of jobs at Hamilton Brothers over the years, mostly in shipping and receiving, as fork lift operator, and also looking after snow and garbage removal.
He got the job at Hamilton Brothers in Glen Huron when he was 30, having just moved to Creemore from Toronto with his wife Linda, and two young children Kevin and Tagon. It was a homecoming for Prentice, who was born in Honeywood and has a lot of family in the Lavender area.
He remembers it was the Centennial year and he was doing some clean up at Hamilton Brothers.
“I’ve been there ever since,” said Prentice.
He said it was a good job and he liked the work.
Working mainly outdoors, he said it could be pretty nasty at times. He’d have to clear away all the snow before moving materials.
Prentice said the job hasn’t changed that much in more than four decades but the products have. When he started, the lumber that Hamilton Brothers stocked was all spruce and cedar, and there was no pressure treated wood. And, there was very little drywall sold, it was mostly wood panelling.
“Now they have everything. There’s 20 to 30 times more,” said Prentice.
New buildings and additions have been added to accommodate the growing business. Prentice said when he first started, only the original building – the farm store – was there. He also remembers several fires over the years, including the mill and the shop.
With a move to Brentwood on the horizon, Prentice says he plans to take it easy in his retirement.
For a retirement gift his family gave him a PS4 video game system, an upgrade from his PS2, so Prentice will be spending his days shooting up zombies, watching television and going for walks.

Kevin Prentice photo: From left: John Hamilton, Fred Hamilton, Johnny Hamilton, Donald Prentice, Austin Hamilton, and Jamie Hamilton.