WHEN he joined as a wide-eyed 16-year-old office boy, he was only going to stay for a few months.

Half a century and several promotions later, however, Mr John Pitkin is now a leading consultant with the same Watford-based property firm.

In celebration of his loyalty to Stimpsons in The Avenue, his colleagues threw him a party on Tuesday to commemorate 50 years with the firm.

His achievement is made all the more remarkable as he was initially lined up for a job in banking.

Mr Pitkin, 66, of Berkhamstead, said: "As I was quite good at maths and languages, I was going to work in the foreign exchange.

"But I had to wait for six months before I could start so I joined Stimpsons for a bit so I could make some money.

"Six months passed and I liked it so much that I decided to stay."

He describes his early days in the world of property as "a lot more gentlemanly, but just as hectic as it is today".

He said: "There were no computers and everything had to be done by hand, but I still learned a lot.

"I worked in lots of different departments right across the board and looking back, I think I always enjoyed myself."

Rising quickly through the ranks, he found that he had a talent for his job and by 1965, he was a partner in the company.

His advice for anyone else considering a career in property is not to specialise too soon.

He said: "It's important that you don't spread yourself too thin and that you get a broad based knowledge."

As he now only works two days a week, retirement is not far off.

But he is determined to stay busy and intends to spend more time at his local rotary club.

October 1, 2002 13:00