By Ashleigh Fielding | posted on January 9, 2020
DENMARK postal worker David Wilson reached a career milestone going into the new year.
Mr Wilson celebrated 50 years working for Australia Post – a career that saw him work and live in eight different towns and cities.
The 65-year-old caught up with the Weekender this week as he commenced 12 months of long service leave ahead of retirement.
Mr Wilson’s first experience with the postal service was when he was just 14 – he performed relief postman work in his hometown of Yarloop during the school holidays.
“There was no break for me,” Mr Wilson laughed.
“The school term ended and I went straight to work.”
He scored himself a permanent job working in Bridgetown a few months later and as he got older, was chosen to work the night telephone duty.
This made Mr Wilson responsible for the telephone exchange between 10pm and 7am.
Over the course of time, he was a postman in Pemberton, again in Yarloop, Waroona, Perth, Mandurah and Bunbury.
Mr Wilson signed off as a postman in 1978 and began working inside the post office behind the counter.
He moved to Denmark 10 years later with his family to work at the town’s post office and never looked back.
“They’re a good mob to work for, they look after you,” Mr Wilson said of Australia Post.
“It’s also a great way to get to know people.”
Australia Post State General Manager for WA Donna Vecchio congratulated Mr Wilson on his achievement.
“It is with great pride that we acknowledge and sincerely thank David for his 50 years of service with Australia Post,” she said.
“David has worked in many communities across the South-West of Western Australia over the years and has been a part of the fabric of Denmark Post Office since 1988.
“We whole-heartedly congratulate David on this remarkable milestone.”
Now that Mr Wilson has called it a day on his working life, he is looking forward to the many adventures retirement can hold.
“I’d like to do the lap, of course,” he said.
“And I’m heading to Japan in September with my seven brothers and their wives, and I’m taking my daughter, so that should be interesting.”
Bowls in the summertime and more fishing are also on the cards for Mr Wilson’s golden years.
