A well-known Melton postie is about to retire next month after more than 30 years on the job.
Starting with Australia Post in July 1995 and with his final run on Friday, October 10, Ken Keele said he has mixed emotions about finishing his role – with the people he serves his favourite part of the job.
“There’s a hell of a lot of those people who … you get to know over the years,” Mr Keele said.
“I’ve enjoyed the interaction with people at different stages. I’ve broken down and had people drive me into town, occasionally you’ve slid off the side of the unmade road into the gutter … I’ve had people pull me out,” he said.
“I’m going to miss a lot of people that you sort of get to know in one way or another.”
Mr Keele said that he began delivering mail after formerly delivering orange juice in the area.
When sales began to slow down – which he attributes to a sales tax introduced at the time – Mr Keele said it was time to look for a new career.
“I’m pulling my bloody hair out because I’ve got two young kids at school … all of a sudden there was an ad in the local paper, they wanted someone to start delivering mail out in Rockbank,” Mr Keele said.
He then also picked up an Exford and Toolern Vale round, and eventually, part of his run included delivering mail to an army barracks and to be left in a 44-gallon drum at Eynesbury when it was a sheep station.
Along with people, Mr Keele said he has had plenty of animal interactions too – including an emu coming up to a mailbox as he delivered mail.
Mr Keele has notified those in his mail run about his retirement with a letter in their mailbox.
