The celebration was held in September 2013 for five crews over three days and the plant actually shut down the machinery for several hours each day so that colleagues on each shift could sit down together."The employees really appreciated that we had done that," said Plant Manager Brian Hammond.
"It meant they had plenty of time to wash up, settle down, talk and enjoy the meal together. These have been tough times for all of us and the anniversary has provided a bright interlude." Brian himself attended all five meals: "But I didn't eat all of them!" he said.
Collingwood was founded in 1968 by Libbey-Owens-Ford, mainly to supply General Motors. The town's Mayor, Sandra Cooper, and Council, attended the last of the five celebrations, when the Mayor thanked Collingwood for providing important employment for local residents for so many years, saying that the plant was "a big part of a small town".