Hosting the tours was a task she took on when the newspaper moved from Albury to Wodonga in 1999, in addition to her major role as layout co-ordinator, a job she has held for 34 years.

Yesterday, Ms Ledwidge farewelled friends and colleagues made over more than three decades.

She is headed to a new life and a new job in Queensland next week.

“The best part has been meeting the people at The Border Mail, they have been great people to work alongside,” she said.

“But I’ve also loved taking the school groups on tour. Hopefully I’ve inspired them and their parents to buy or continue buying the paper and some I may have inspired to look to getting a job at a newspaper.”

Ms Ledwidge began her career at The Border Mail on July 27, 1977, a date that encouraged her to select seven as her lucky number.

Her term with the paper has been overseen by four general managers, six editors and seven advertising managers.

She has worked with hundreds of staff in advertising, editorial, classifieds, accounts, management and printing.

Ms Ledwidge said her job was one of the few where she was required to work with staff in all of the newspaper’s departments to bring together the layout for the following day’s paper.

Ms Ledwidge was born in Albury and went to the former St Joseph’s Ladies College before she was encouraged by her late mother Sheila to apply for a vacancy at The Border Mail as a front counter receptionist.

She failed a typing test but the then advertising manager, John Barton, saw something in her and she was hired.

A stint in accounts followed before Ms Ledwidge was given the opportunity to work alongside former layout co-ordinator Molly Chapman.

She assumed the senior role when Ms Chapman retired and was in charge when desktop computers were introduced, taking the place of the ruler, pencil and eraser.

“The thing I like most about doing the layout is the interaction I have with every part of the business, from the general manager and ad and sale managers, to production, editorial, accounts and printing.

“It’s a lot more interesting than most people might think — it’s more than just sticking boxes on the page.”

Ms Ledwidge is headed to Queensland’s Gold Coast where she will work for her older sister Jenny and brother-in-law Tim Millward at the Swell Resort at Burleigh Heads as head receptionist and general host.