NEW LIFE:Since finding her perfect job, Erica Fay has never come home from work in bad form, writes Michael Kelly
THERE CAN be few more serene places to work than Christ Church Cathedral in Waterford. Visitors stroll around in respectful hush taking in the beauty of this wonderful neo-classical building while classical music plays gently in the background.
Ask for a guided tour of the cathedral and chances are it will be Erica Fay who will be doing the guiding (so to speak). The Waterford woman worked for 23 years as an operator in Bausch Lomb on the outskirts of the city before leaving the hectic world of manufacturing behind for this most peaceful of work environments.
Is it as idyllic as it looks?
"Oh yes, it really is," she laughs. "I never mind coming in to work and I've never gone home from work in bad form. There is no stress involved, it's just a beautiful place to be. The two words we always get back as feedback from visitors are 'peaceful' and 'tranquil'."
Fay joined Bausch Lomb shortly after leaving school in 1980. "Things were bad job-wise at the time so there weren't a huge amount of options available. I looked at nursing but just felt it was a vocation that I didn't have and I also thought about art because my father was an art teacher."
The multinational contact lens manufacturer opened in Waterford shortly before Fay left school and started a recruitment drive in the city. "I applied for a job as an operator and I just loved it at the start. There was a really young workforce and a party at the drop of a hat. In any case, even if I hadn't liked it, it wasn't a time when you could go to your parents and say you weren't happy in a job."
She was spared the worst of shift working because at the time the company's female employees were not permitted to work night shifts. "I started off doing just two shifts - the day shift and the 4-12 - which wasn't too bad. Then I moved on to days which I did for eight years - that was brilliant.
"Eventually I got a house and mortgage, so you sort of settle down then. I won't say I was in a rut, but you're not likely to move on when you have those responsibilities."
Fast forward to her 23rd year of employment and the company announced the phasing out of day shifts. "It meant having to go back to three shifts, including nights. I just thought, you know what, I'm 41 years of age - this company has been very good to me but this will be a step back rather than forward."
She recalls the considerable uncertainty which surrounded her future the day she left. "I hadn't anything else lined up so there was a bit of trepidation there obviously about how I was going to pay the bills. I left on a Tuesday and my best friend left on the same day. It was something we had discussed together. It was very strange knowing we would never be going back there. But somewhere in my mind, I knew it was the right thing to do."
Assessing her options, Fay made the brave decision to return to education. "I decided to do a course in tourism and front office skills in the Central Technical Institute in Waterford. It was literally like going back to school - I was the oldest on the course by about 20 years.
"There was a Russian girl who was 23 and the rest were kids just out of school. I remember sitting down that first morning and thinking, oh God what have I done? But of course I made some brilliant friends, even though I was old enough to be their mother!"
After a year's studying, Fay graduated with a Fetac diploma and was named student of the year. "That was a great boost to my confidence, which was low at the time. I just felt really good about it."
It was her love of history that provided a clue as to what her dream job might be. She has been a member of the Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society for more than 20 years and did an introductory course in archaeology while still with Bausch Lomb.
"While I was doing the course I heard that Christ Church was looking for volunteers so I went along and started doing weekends initially."
Officially called the Cathedral of The Holy Trinity, Christ Church has been a constant presence in Waterford since the 11th century. It is the only neo-classical Georgian Cathedral in Ireland and, while still a place of Christian worship, it is also now a venue for concerts, recitals and exhibitions.
Fay acts as a tour guide and works in the cathedral's gift and coffee shop.
"I took to it like a duck to water and just loved learning about the history of the place. It's all about meeting and greeting visitors when they come in and giving guided tours if they want them.
"There are lots of questions about the cathedral and about Waterford in general. There are also lots of questions from people looking to trace their family tree and genealogy is another passion of mine."
It is a sign of more enlightened times that the people of Waterford and visitors to the area are able to enjoy this beautiful building.
"For a lot of older local people when they come in, it's their first time in the building even though they have been living within a stone's throw of it all their lives.
"There was a time when it was a mortal sin for Catholics to enter a Church of Ireland building. One man told me that he attended a wedding in the cathedral and he had to get absolution from the bishop!"