Frank Armstrong, who has worked in Canberra's parks service for more than half a century, says it's pretty special to see a family walking up a track he helped to put in.
"You really feel good then when that comes along, things like that," Mr Armstrong says.
The veteran ACT Parks and Conservation Service field officer says he never wanted his retirement to come - but he has decided now, after 51 years, is the right time.sssssssss
"Years ago, you had to retire at 65, it was compulsory. And then it was 70 and now it's 75. You can work until you're 75. But in January I'll be 71, and you think, you don't know how much life you've got left, so it's time. I don't really want to go, but it's time to go," he says.
"It's been a terrific job, it really has. It's amazing just to work in Canberra Nature Park, you know. All those years.
"When I first come here, Curtin was the last suburb out there. That was it. Just to see Canberra grow. All the suburbs, all the Canberra Nature Park, you know. It's been a really good journey."
Canberra Nature Park, a network of 37 reserves, has been Mr Armstrong's second home since 1969. He's built fences, worked on firefighting missions, and kept weeds escaping from the houses that back onto the reserve at bay. But he's never quite conquered his fear of snakes.
On Mr Armstrong's first day on the job - he still remembers the date: June 2, 1969 - he made sure to arrive very promptly.
"I left Queanbeyan in an old Volkswagen at 5 o'clock in the morning to start at 7.30 in O'Connor. I had no idea of the traffic in Canberra," he says with a laugh.
His favourite spot was Mulligans Flat - but Mt Ainslie and Majura are special hills, too. From the top of Mt Ainslie, you can look out and see just how much the city has changed, he says.
"Special in my heart is Mulligans. I used to go out there sometimes on the motorbike and go round the fence in case there were animals stuck in the fence of a morning, when they were short," he says.
Not every day has been smooth sailing. Mr Armstrong recalls accidentally cutting the cable that linked Canberra with the Tidbinbilla tracking station.
"One year we were working off the Cotter Road and I tore up the cable from there with the dozer, which wasn't very good. Didn't take them very long to find out where it was, to get there to repair it," Mr Armstrong says with a smile.
Retirement will give him more time to spend with his 10 children and four grandchildren, but he says he will also soon be back as a volunteer in the nature park.
Over the past 50 years, more Canberrans have begun to appreciate the natural environment in and around their city, which is important as the capital expands, Mr Armstrong says.
"I'd like to see more reserves. There's a lot now, but I want to see more," he says, ahead of his last day on the job next week.
