Duane keeps delivering, 40 years on

VICTORIANS waiting at their postbox over the past four decades may have spotted Duane Smith bringing them the mail.

Mr Smith has racked up 40 years of service with Australia Post, including delivering letters and parcels in 37 different Victorian suburbs and towns in a variety of roles throughout his career.

He has spent many of them riding his bike in the Geelong region, and is presently a postal delivery officer based at the Grovedale Delivery Centre.

Mr Smith first worked delivering telegrams during the school holidays in December 1981, but considers his official start to be in October 1982, working positions across retail and delivery in the Southern Melbourne metro area.

He has been in a relief role for much of his career, filling in for other posties across the state on sick leave, holiday leave and annual leave.

“I love it, because of the changes – I’ve been as far as Ballarat, Portland, Colac and Warrnambool,” he said.

“I moved down to Anglesea in 1998 and got a relieving position in North Geelong in 1999, so I’ve been delivering around here for 24 years.

“It’s a very versatile job – but then you’ve got guys who’ve had 35 years on the one round.”

In his long career of riding motorbikes, Mr Smith has had “only a couple of spills” but said the new electric delivery vehicles being rolled out by Australia Post were safer.

“It’s forever changing, and now we’ve got more competition – I went to a course in Melbourne yesterday where we’re trying to look towards 2026, the next three years – there’s more couriers on the road, twilight delivery – the competition’s pretty fierce now so we’re going to have to step up our game.”

He said online shopping had completely changed the postal industry.

“With COVID, we were an essential service, and that hasn’t stopped.”