Donna Parker took on delivering the post after having a triple heart bypass and 17 years later she is planning to deliver her last package on Christmas Eve.
"The job came up and I thought I could walk some of that and it would give me my exercise."
Her husband and family were all against it, she said.
They were farming on the Knobbies, above Roxburgh, and it was a 6am start in Roxburgh.
"I never looked back, I have loved it."
The early start was one of the biggest challenges for her along with learning to ride the motorbike that came with the job.
In the beginning there were a lot more letters and few parcels to deliver.
The parcels that did arrive mostly fit in the motorbike saddle bags, she said.
There was mail delivery six days a week then and 1pm was the latest finish time.
Over the years the parcels grew in size and number and she eventually bought Buttercup, her little yellow car that was well-known in the town. With the rear seats completely removed it handled the ever-increasing parcel load. Some days she had to return to the depot for a second load. Meal kits were a newer delivery item and some were quite heavy.
Posties supplied their own uniforms, motorbike or vehicle for the job, Mrs Parker said.
Her job had been advertised and the next postie would have to supply a van and have it sign written.
About 300 households were in her delivery area and she had got to know most of the people on the route. There were holiday homes in the town, many staying in the same family all that time.
Warratahs and drench containers were all part of the job today, which was in part what drove her decision to retire from the role.
"The weight [of items delivered] just keeps going up. My back aches, my shoulder aches."
A highlight was when Teviot Valley rest-home resident Mary Varcoe turned 100, in 2008, and there was a Royal delivery in the mail for her.
"I thought I can’t just put this in her letter box so I went to a friend and she made me up a little bouquet of flowers and I will never forget it. She was just so delighted."
A rather different experience occurred while she was preparing to deliver some mail on foot one morning.
"As I got out this lady was waving frantically at me."
When Mrs Parker approached the lady said "come in, come in, it’s my husband".
She had been mistaken for an ambulance officer.
"I went in and thankfully St John arrived. I explained [to her] I am Donna and I’m the postie."
Keeping an eye on the community was part of the job, she said.
"You were aware if the newspaper was still in the box, if things didn’t look right. You just went that extra mile in a country town."
That extended to putting out wheelie bins for one lady she had noticed struggling with them.
Christmas Eve would probably see her once again donning her Santa hat and handing out lollies as she travels around as she had done for the past 17 years.
While she was not ruling out finding another job in the meantime she was looking forward to spending more time with her grandson Reggie.
