Vince and Michelle pose for one last photo with their work colleagues
Long-serving Unitec kaimahi Vince Shepherd and Michelle Nicol were bid a fond farewell by their colleagues on Thursday.
Vince is a Resources Specialist, Systems and library icon who started in 1990.
Michelle Nicol is a valued Senior Administrator with the Operations team who started in 1982, when Unitec was known as the Carrington Technical Institute.
Vince and Michelle have been a couple since 2012. But recently they decided to sell their house and hit the road in their new mobile home.
“We’ve been jealous of all these shiny new motorhomes when we’ve gone camping and came to the realization that that could be us,” Vince explains. “So late last year we took the plunge and finally put a deposit on our own home on wheels.”
Director, Student Success, Annette Pitovao paid tribute to Vince and Michelle. “I think you guys are incredibly brave. I am in awe of your courage as you go and have a massive adventure, and I think there are many adventures to come. Thanks for everything.”
“Their contributions to Unitec have been immense and they will be sorely missed,” says Library Manager, Anna Wheeler
“We are very grateful to have worked with Vince and Michelle and wish them all the best on their next journey.”
Reflecting on his time at Unitec, Vince recalls: “I was a business computing student at Carrington Polytechnic (now Unitec) in the late eighties but couldn’t find a job in the industry. Then a job turned up at the library. I applied and the rest is history.”
“I’ve had a wide variety of library roles over the years but found my niche in systems for the last twenty-odd years. There’s been a lot of change in technology over this time and it will be completely different in another 30 years.”
Originally from Wellsford, Vince confesses to being “a bit of a geek” who loves science fiction. This was a strong theme amongst his fellow kaimahi who constantly referenced sci-fi during his farewell.
But it was his technical know-how and problem-solving traits that he was renowned for.
“He took care of all the fundamental things behind the scenes you take for granted,” said Resources Specialist, Stephen Brebner.
Subject Librarian Donna Salmon spoke of Vince’s calmness and innate ability to fix things. “When something’s not working, I’m amazed at how quickly he responded to problems. His quiet sense of humour has also been such a gift during stressful times,” she remarked.
Michelle grew up in Huapai and was a student at Unitec (then Carrington Technical Institute) in the early 1980s before being offered a position in the bookshop.
After the shop closed, she took a short break before returning to Unitec as a pool temp in 2021, then permanent staff in the Enrolment Processing team.
When she’s not working, Michelle keeps herself busy with crochet and card marking although she confesses to being bit of a geek too and enjoys a good sci-fi movie.
Vince says Thames will be their initial base before they explore the rest of Aotearoa.
“We’ve been overseas several times, but our favourite places are here at home and we are looking forward to visiting places in New Zealand we’ve missed,” he shares.
Asked what he’ll miss the most about Unitec, Vince says it’s the people he works with. “I’ve loved working with them all. I’ll be back from time to time. In the meantime, may the force be with you all and live long and prosper.”