Postie Mark Simpson made so many friends during his 10 years on his route around Kingston that he invited them all to his farewell this week at The Durham pub in Green Square.
"These people will definitely always be part of my life," he said.
And they weren't just friends of the two-legged variety. The retiring postie had a great friendship with both the humans and the hounds of Kingston.
"I just got to know so many people, the shop owners and the staff and the people who live in Kingston, they've become my friends, my mates," he said.
"And the dogs became my mates, too. I'm one of the luckiest postmen in Australia because I did not get a bad one. They all loved me and I loved them."
Mr Simpson, 66, of Calwell, this week retired from Australia Post on Tuesday June 30, 10 years and 15 days to the day since he started on the Kingston route, first on an electric bike and then on a three-wheeled electric delivery vehicle.
The whirr of the electric delivery vehicle aka an EDV was like a dog whistle to the doggos of Kingston.
"They knew I was coming from a block away. They'd be waiting at the gates and barking and jumping up and down," Mr Simpson said.
Unlike other posties who are often attacked by dogs on their route, Mr Simpson said he felt fortunate that was never the case for him.
One of his favourite dogs on the route was Ollie the springer spaniel, who sadly was posted overseas with his owners before Mr Simpson could say goodbye to him.
"He used to throw his ball out the gate and I'd have to throw it back over. It could be five minutes there sometimes, throwing it back to him," he said.
There were many dogs who held a special place in his heart, including a local golden retriever.
"I knew him as a pup. His parents, I call them that, would take him for a walk and I'd see him get bigger and bigger. If he saw me on the EDV, he would sit and he wouldn't go any further until I went over and gave him a pat."
On Thursday, Australia Post colleagues, Kingston residents and shopkeepers raised a glass to Mr Simpson at The Durham. Local gallery owner Scott Leggo also came bearing gifts - a signed copy of one of his photography books and a cap.
For Mr Leggo, there was no better postie than Mr Simpson because along with the mail, he delivered "good, old-fashioned service with a smile".
"He was the ultimate postie," he said.
Hayley McCoy from Unique Diamonds in Kingston said Mr Simpson was "always happy" when he dropped off letters or parcels to the business.
Kingston resident Aldo Borgo appreciated Mr Simpson's attention to detail doing his job.
"He took care with your valuable packages, knew where to put them to keep them safe, keep them dry," he said.
Originally from Cooma, Mr Simpson left his home town in 1991 and went on a "25-year tropical vacation", spending 10 years in Darwin and 15 years in Queensland, in Bundaberg and Townsville.
He worked a variety of jobs including for a pub, Woolworths, a cleaning business and a limousine taxi service, learning all about customer service and how to talk to people.
Mr Simpson moved to Canberra in 2014 and started work with Australia Post on June 15, 2016.
He would finish his route on his bike, in the early days, and then walk parcels and letters to the local business owners, always wanting to hand them over personally if he could.
Mr Simpson plans to stay in Canberra but is next week off for a holiday in Darwin to see old friends and play some lawn bowls.
"It was a sad happy day," he said of his final day as Kingston's most popular postie.
"I've just loved what I've done for the last 10 years."
