In 2005, Ray Potter celebrated 50 years in the insurance industry.
But he has no plans to retire. He wants to remain in the industry for as long as his health is good and he still loves the work.
His career began with North British & Mercantile (later taken over by CGU), where he spent seven years. He then joined Western (later taken over by Royal), where he worked in Moree, Tamworth and Sydney. In 1982, he moved into broking, working for Kingdon Rickard & Associates, where he spent 17 years.
In 1999, JMD Ross took over Kingdon Rickard and Ray's still with the company.
While much of his work is for small to medium businesses, he also does domestic, motor fleets and marine. The recipe for servicing clients is simple, he says. "It's just a matter of finding out what the client needs and getting the solution." Being there when a claim occurs is vital.
Ray is a big country music fan. He and his wife have attended every Tamworth Country Music Festival for 14 years and are former line dancers.