Progress and Loss: A Year of Changes

1978 marked a significant technological advancement for Arnold's with the introduction of an American-made Ag-Pak automatic pre-packaging machine. This innovative equipment represented a major leap forward in efficiency, capable of handling potatoes, onions, and oranges with unprecedented speed and accuracy. The machine's ability to automatically bag and weigh produce into poly-bags or nets, managing weights from 1kg to 7kg, revolutionized their packaging operations and demonstrated Arnold's ongoing commitment to modernisation.

Jack, J.E, & In Front, John Noel Arnold

The year, however, was also marked by sadness with the passing of Noel Arnold at age 72. Having retired just eleven years earlier after his remarkable 46-year career with the business, Noel's legacy lived on in the modern, efficient operation that Arnold's had become. His dedication to "clockwork" precision in business operations would have appreciated the technical progress represented by innovations like the Ag-Pak machine, even as his loss was deeply felt by family, friends, and the broader community.