Real Lives: Fresh out of retirement, Derek becomes a winner

A MAN has been named house manager of the year for Scotland after being praised by residents at the retirement apartments where he works.

Derek Brown, 65, who lives in Kingsknowe, recently received the award from retirement property management company – Peverel Retirement – at Roseburn House in Edinburgh, where he has been house manager for the last 14 months.

The father-of-two and grandfather-of-three saw off stiff competition from colleagues across the country to win the award.

He was put forward for the award by residents.

Mr Brown, who said he was “flabbergasted” to discover he had won the award, said: “I was so chuffed when I found out I had won this award. It’s great to receive recognition for the work I do, and I’m grateful for the residents taking the time out to vote for me.

“Having come out of retirement myself to enter this new career path, I can honestly say that I love my job and all the people at Roseburn House are a pleasure to work for.”

When asked why Mr Brown was worthy of the award, resident Frances Clark said: “Derek has had a big impact at Roseburn House in such a short space of time, and the residents feel he is an important member of the community.

“Derek has a very caring nature yet treats everybody the same, always ensuring he is there for us all.”

Mr Brown spent 35 years working at Wolsey Knitwear in Dumfries, progressing to works manager – a position he held for the last nine years of his employment with the company.

He went on to spend four years at The Edinburgh Woollen Mill, retiring from his position as production director in 1999. Mr Brown came out of retirement to take up employment with Peverel in 2006, spending four years as house manager at Wallace Court in Lanark before taking on the same role at Roseburn House last year.

Mr Brown, who works part-time, said: “I just want to thank the residents very much for their faith in me and all their nice comments. To be recognised for the work that you do is quite rewarding. I enjoy my job and will continue doing it for as long as I can.”

Keith Edgar, managing director of Peverel Retirement, added: “We are extremely proud to recognise Derek as a regional house manager of the year 2011.

“This is a real testament to how much he is valued by the residents at Roseburn House, and we’re pleased to be able to congratulate Derek for all his hard work.”

Peverel Retirement, which manages privately-owned retirement properties, has awarded six people across the UK the title of house manager of the year in 2011.

The company manages 1500 developments, comprising 65,000 properties.