People of the airport - Theo Theodorou
It takes a lot of amazing people to help Wellington Airport run smoothly, so we're showcasing some of the amazing team working behind the scenes.
Theo Theodorou has been cleaning the grounds and exteriors of Wellington Airport for nearly 30 years, often as a one-man band in a cherry picker battling the weather.
“I’ve been coming in at all hours, sometimes in the middle of the night when it’s dead quiet and almost no-one around. The tranquillity can be amazing, but it never lasts long.”
Theo recently sold his company AT Property after 28 years of working at the airport and neighbouring retail park, taking care of everything from window washing to gutter sweeping and rubbish removal.
“The airport is a big place to clean – with the scale of it, it feels never ending sometimes. It has really grown since I first came here and it was just single level, basically an old hangar.
“The salt from the seawater is a big factor. You can feel the salt on the windows even at the end of a 40-foot pole.
“The wind is a challenge too. I can remember one storm that blew the roof off the south-west pier - made a real mess with roofing paper everywhere".
“The rules around airfield security have obviously changed a lot. You used to be able to go straight onto the runway with no security – anyone could go out, and I used to get my wife to help occasionally. That all changed with 9/11 of course.
“One time I found a wallet out on the runway that must have fallen out of someone’s bag. It was thick with cash, must have been at least two thousand dollars. So I gave that to Air New Zealand.
“My son helped me out working here occasionally and he must have picked up the aviation bug because he’s now a pilot for Cathay Pacific, living in Hong Kong and flying Boeing 777s.
"The flexibility of working at the airport meant that I could take my daughter horse riding after school and come back to do some cleaning.
“I’ve loved working for myself. It’s provided for my family and helped put my kids through school.
“It’s been a real privilege and honour. I always felt part of the team and lucky to come in here. It keeps you fit and the people were great. I didn’t even realise 28 years have gone by.”
