After more than a generation spreading all the news, two familiar faces in Mate Street will now focus on their own story.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Barry and Jane Verbunt are moving on from North Albury Newsagency and will hand over the business to young couple Bhavna Kerai and Arvind Bhudiya on Monday.
"We've done over 26 years, 9743 days, it will be," Mr Verbunt said.
"I reckon we've sold about seven and a half million Border Mails in our time."
When they took over in late 1993, the couple was expecting their second child but now their three children are all adults. For about the first half of their time, the old Hume Highway passed by the shop door, as did all the heavy trucks that are now diverted away.
"Peak hour, the trucks would be banked up way past APCO, it would take them at least three if not four (traffic) lights to get through," Mr Verbunt said.
"And we don't miss all the black sooty dust that used to come in," Mrs Verbunt added.
Store changes over the years have included introducing giftware, expanding the stationery range and more chances to play lotto.
But newspapers have also been a staple, not just for the Verbunts.
"There's customers who've been with us every day, come in every day and pick the paper up for the 26 years we've been here," Mr Verbunt said.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Originally from Kenya, the couple came to Australia to study and arrived on the Border with their son Yagnik, 4, earlier this year.
"We were looking for a job," Mrs Kerai said.
"We were walking past here and saw a sign up.
"And we thought, 'OK, let's have a go'."
Now completing training both online and in store ("so far, so good"), they are excited to start on Monday.
"We love talking," Mrs Kerai said, laughing. "We'll get to see more people around here.
"We're not really familiar with this town, so we'll get to know people around here and how people live here, that will be the best opportunity while we work here."
The Verbunts thanked all their customers and staff members over the years and hoped to travel across Australia and overseas in the future.
"We've got the caravan, we've got all that organised, it's what COVID allows us to do," Mr Verbunt said.
Regardless, they plan to enjoy a lifestyle that doesn't include the newsagency.
"When we first started, we used to do 4am to 6pm at night, we did that for 20 years," Mr Verbunt said.
"That would be the heaven part, no early mornings."