Albury postal worker of 40 years Lee-Anne Wheeler celebrates retirement

But now, as her 40-year journey with Australia Post comes to an end, she can look back and share a laugh about the day that brought her to tears.

"On my very first day, I was given the task of delivering telegrams on the little motorbike, but it proved short-lived - I lasted one day," Mrs Wheeler laughed.

"It was pouring rain, and I got on the little Honda and there wasn't much training on how to use the motorbikes back then, so I kept hitting the kill-switch, which prompted a rather arduous start-stop journey up Pemberton Street (Albury).

"I finally got it working, but as I was riding back, it was raining so much it felt like bees were pelting my face - it was a real experience, one I wasn't expecting."

Upon her return to the post office, the then 17-year-old was advised that perhaps delivery wasn't her forte, and she should explore dispatching instead.

This decision proved fruitful, as Mrs Wheeler quickly found her stride and worked her way up the ranks, eventually becoming the area manager for the ACT and the Riverina.

"Over my time, I've done a lot of travel and got the privilege to meet many wonderful people," Mrs Wheeler said.

"That's the best part of the job - interacting with beautiful, interesting people and building friendships along the way.

"But there have certainly been some bumpy times as well; when managing over 600 people, you will always clash with some people, but it's a small percentage."

Mrs Wheeler, 59, said she had experienced many changes in the industry during her time, but by far the greatest was when the post office entered the digital age with Electronic Point of Sale systems (EPOS).

"That changed the retail space entirely," she said.

"We went from just serving stamps and money orders to providing a whole host of services, for example, passports.

"It was difficult to adjust to but very satisfying at the same time - I love a challenge."

With more time on her hands now, Mrs Wheeler is looking forward to travelling around Australia, playing with her five grandkids (with another one on the way), pursuing her passion of painting and riding horses on her hobby farm in Bungowannah.

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