It was an epic moment for Mick Lantry when he delivered his last newspaper last week after 15 years of making sure Maitland people received their news.
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“For 20 hours a week, every week, I have been delivering newspapers to homes in a 70km round trip,” the 74-year-old great-grandfather said.
He was speaking to The Star after returning to Maitland West End Newsagency from his final delivery.
His daily trip took him to homes in the city and to Horseshoe Bend, Louth Park, parts of Telarah and around Oakhampton.
“Every day I have been getting up shortly before 4am and it will be good to stay in bed a bit longer now.
“I also delivered papers in my station wagon to all the major supermarkets as well as to homes for elderly people.”
Despite the vast amount of information in his hands, Mr Lantry said he never sneaked a quick read of any newspaper until he arrived home in Windella each day.
“If I had tried to read, I would never have got my work done,” he said.
“Each day I delivered about 300 newspapers.
“This is not a job that can be done casually. If you are five minutes late at some homes, there would be a phone call asking what had happened to the deliveries.”
In general, Mr Lantry said he found Maitland people very friendly.
“But you soon learn to aim your rolled up newspapers with precision,” he said.
“It is only too easy to miss selected places.
“If a person wants a paper to land behind a fence, on a path beneath a window, that is where it must go.
“Sometimes I have been met by people ready to catch a delivery.
“They are particularly keen to get their papers after big events, such as the State of Origin football game.”
Some of his hardest deliveries were made during the recent flood and Mr Lantry sometimes had to wait until conditions eased.
“I have seen a lot of the Maitland area and now I want to visit other parts of Australia,” he said.
