He wanted to keep his retirement a secret until a couple of hours before he walked out from behind the counter for the final time but was convinced his customers and friends would like to know.

Rod, as thousands of people know him, started his long career at Boorowa Post Office as a telegram boy.

He had completed fourth form as it was known then and the School Certificate at Boorowa Central School.

“The school only went to fourth form and to do the Higher School Certificate I would have had to travel to Yass High School, which was seen as out of the question,” he recalled.

“I got a job at the Post office in 1970, only intending to work there til I could get enough money together to get a career in the Public Service in Canberra.”

“My wages back then were $1375 per annum.”

“In 1971 The Post Master General’s Department sent me to the Postal Training School at Strathfield where I learnt to type and learned about the postal procedures including how to use the tele-printer. There were no computers back then.

“The PMG organised my boarding accommodation which was pretty good.

“It was scary for someone who had never travelled on a train before and was totally unfamiliar with Sydney. “I got lost trying to get out of Strathfield Station as the entrance was underground.”

Rod spent five months in Sydney before being assigned to the Wollongong area, where again the PMG organised his accommodation.

In 1972 he was appointed to Goulburn as a postal clerk.

Understandably, it was a vastly different work environment to that of today.

“The Post Office only dealt in postal matters or paying of phone bills. All our accounting and record keeping was paper based,” he explained.

“There was a massive room for sorting mail and we dispatched mail to other centres and received it via the trains.

“The Post Offices were open on Saturday mornings then and the postman delivered mail on Saturday mornings too.”

Between 1972 and 1982 Mr McClenahan was on the relief staff for the Post Office. As such, he spent short periods filling in for absent staff in various post offices from Campbelltown to Batlow and just about everywhere in between.

After this he served in the area postal management office and in 1998 was appointed manager at Goulburn Post Office.

When he came back to the Post Office as manager one of his objectives was to get the clock, at the time broken, fixed.

“To be appointed as manager was a huge honour and I view it as my greatest achievement, considering my poor background as a child,” he said.

“To have risen through the ranks of the Postal Service and to have tried to lead my staff by example is something I can really reflect on with pride.

“I have made so many friends along the way and really feel part of the Goulburn community.

“Leonie and I will not be moving and we don’t have any great plans of overseas travel but will spend time with our children and grandchildren here and in Queensland.”

During his time in the post office he has seen many changes and had to learn continually to keep up with technological advances.

“One of the biggest changes was the internet and that has made a massive difference to the amount of parcel traffic as well as other services,” he said.

“I don’t know where we would be without our retail sales, particularly of stationery, postal packaging and gift items. They have certainly made a difference, not only to large post offices like Goulburn but also the smaller ones where often we are the only suppliers of certain items in the town.

“I am sure I will miss the routine of work but will still be around and will see all my friends and staff “It was a hard decision to decide when to retire but I think the time is right for me.”