ROYAL CITY – Bonnie Valentine has recently been added to the office staff at the Port of Royal Slope. Valentine is working alongside current port Director Cathy Porter as Porter’s assistant.

While Valentine isn’t a Royal City native, her husband, Jason, is. She has also lived in the Royal City area since 2002 and has worked at her father-in-law’s dairy for most of that time.

“I recently decided it was time for something different,” Valentine said. “Checking water troughs in the winter is not my favorite thing anymore.”

Valentine heard from one of the port commissioners that the Port of Royal Slope was looking for an assistant for Porter. After attending board meetings and learning more about the job, Valentine joined the staff on Nov. 1, 2019.

“I think we work well together,” Valentine said. “She’s (Porter) been great with putting up with my mistakes. There are all kinds of things to learn. It is a huge learning curve. I was ready to learn something new.”

One of the things that drew Valentine to the job was the variety of work that the port director does. Porter does all of the office work, as well as operating the wells and taking care of weeds. Valentine is assisting her with those duties.

“It has been fun,” Valentine said. “I have been enjoying new things and getting to meet new people. I like being able to get out. I’m not stuck inside all the time. She’s (Porter) been fun to work with and is a good teacher.”

Rachal Pinkerton may be reached via email at [email protected].