Local legend Jacko Whitby calls time on 55 years with Australia Post as longest serving Indigenous employee

Australia Post has recognised local champion Jacko Whitby as its longest serving Indigenous employee, who ended five decades of service on the exact same day he began the job 55 years ago. Mr Whitby has worked in many community roles, beginning his career in Northampton in 1969 after leaving school at 15 to work as a postie, “delivering mail on a trusty push bike”. He also worked night shifts at the telephone exchange from 1970 to 1979. His journey then led him to Geraldton, where he held the position of corporate postman for 30 years, spending the final 15 years of his career as a contractor in Geraldton working closely in rural delivery. It is clear how loved and respected Mr Whitby is at the workplace, with colleagues gushing about the impact he has had on the centre on Durlacher Street. Centre delivery manager Katie Bowtell worked alongside Mr Whitby for 24 years after she arrived at the company when she was 19 years old. “It’s a massive achievement for someone to have a career like this, especially with the changes and the commitment he’s shown — it’s been fantastic,” she said. Ms Bowtell said Mr Whitby had been a fantastic mentor, leader and coach to everyone at the centre and in the wider community with his role as an athletics coach, with his experience and kindness unmatched. “The level of respect everyone has for him was earned easily because of the way he went about it. It’s been a pleasure,” she said. Mr Whitby saw many changes in Australia Post during his tenure, but said the biggest one was the change from manual work to automated electronic processes. “When I first started it was called Post Master General ... and people ask me how I lasted 55 years, well one day just kept rolling into the other. I must’ve enjoyed it somewhere along the line,” he laughs. His favourite part of the half-century service has been the people he worked with and rising to the various challenges the role threw at him each day. “I do enjoy the people. That’s one of the main things that kept me going,” Mr Whitby, who finished on February 6, said. “Retiring from Australia Post has been a bittersweet feeling – I didn’t take much notice in the beginning, but over the last few days I’ve finally taken some time to sit and reflect.” During retirement, Mr Whitby will be focusing on his athletics coaching role as well as visiting his sister in NSW. “After that I’ll come back and see what’s next,” he said. Mr Whitby’s legacy lives on within the company as the first of three generations working at Australia Post, with his daughter and grandson working to fill his big boots.