Boots off for best foot forward

• At the rear Angelina Hemphill, who catered for the morning tea, Jo and Shane McGrath, watch over John Davison and Matt Quatermass preparing for some treatment from pedicurist Lyn Bridge at the Branxholm workshop.

June 14, 2023

A gang of heavy engineering workers is not a group you might expect to parade their tootsies at work.

But the owners of Branch Fabrications, Shane and Jo McGrath, wanted to look after their staff from the ground up, so put out the invitation for a pedicure on the job.

Mrs McGrath said she got the idea during the recent biggest morning tea for cancer fund raising, where recent arrival to Branxholm and qualified pedicurist Lyn Bridge was plying her craft.

They decided to throw a special smoko to mark men’s health week with the option of a free pedicure to follow.

Mrs Bridge spoke to the workforce about the importance of looking after their feet, but was disappointed only a few of them took up the offer.

“They’re mainly fairly young and I think a bit embarrassed,”
she said.

“But being on their feet on hard surfaces for most of the day, means they should really care about their feet.

“If you look after your feet the rest of your body looks after itself.”

She gave the workers hints on caring for their feet and toenails and told them odour could be a warning sign of something more serious. 

Mrs McGrath said there was a common belief that Men’s Health Week was more about mental health.

“But it’s really about the whole person and we took the view that feet was a good place to start for our workers who spend so much of their time standing on them.”

One of the younger workers was keen to take his boots off for some work on his feet.

Matt Quatermass said he used to have a regular pedicure when living in Sydney.

“A free pedi at work, who’d have thought?

“I’ve spent about 90 per cent of my life wearing heavy work boots since I was about 15, so I know the benefits of keeping your feet healthy,” he said.