The former Karamea and Timaru tolls manager took the honour of being the oldest attendee at the annual gathering of former Post Office employees in Timaru last week.
"Doyen" means the most respected or prominent person in a particular field.
Staff from the post office, savings bank, toll exchange and lines and engineering staff gathered at the Timaru Town and Country Club to catch up with old friends and colleagues.
They shared tales of the days when they worked for one of Timaru’s biggest employers, and a time when a job with the post office was a job for life.
The Sophia St post office and telephone exchange housed many, and many more were based out of the depot on the corner of North and Stafford Sts.
A tradition for the annual event is the presentation of the doyen chain — dating back to 1946 — to the oldest at the gathering.
This year, Mr Egan — at 92 — took the honours, his name being added to the string of engraved medallions adorning the chain.
Mr Egan joined the post office in 1950, and became the manager of the Karamea toll exchange, before moving to Timaru to be closer to his parents, taking on the same role at the larger Timaru exchange.
There were good times, when exchange operators were, in his words, "the eye of the needle, the hub of the wheel".
They answered all sorts of questions from callers as well as put calls through, and for many years, answered 111 calls as well.
