Graeme Bond has been a familiar and welcoming face at railway stations across NSW for 43 years, and said he has missed connecting with workers, commuters and the local community since he retired.
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He was a station manager at Bowral from 1996 to 2021, and after retiring in December, has been approached by locals who have asked where he has gone.
Locals even told him that a Highland FM host, who would give him a shoutout daily in the morning, was still acknowledging him on-air.
I was well-known and appreciated, he said.
"It feels a bit weird at times that 43 years has passed and good things must come to an end."
Mr Bond would be up at 4.30am to go to his 5.30am shift in Bowral.
He inspected, cleaned and assessed the station and greeted commuters face-to-face and via announcements.
"I liked to override the electronic announcement with personal announcements [about the] next train, [and I] always started with 'good morning' and finished with 'thank you'," he said.
"I felt that there was that better connection, better community service."
Commuters who have seen Mr Bond in public have told him they missed his announcements.
Over the 25 years, Mr Bond has seen the systems change, and has helped many commuters with the machines.
His work day however did not stop when he left the station and changed out of his uniform.
"I'd see people up the street at Woolworths and Coles and they'd ask me for timetable information," he said.
"I liked that."
He also managed Mittagong and Yerrinbool Station from 2009.
"He's got a great name everywhere, he's really kind," said regular commuter Ruth Hainsworth who stopped to chat with Mr Bond while he was interviewed by the Southern Highland News.
"He's a really good guy, he's helped everyone."
The Highlander initially wanted to be apprentice carpenter when he left school but could not secure work.
Another student told him about he was going to apply for the railway and Mr Bond decided to do the same.
He soon got a job offer, but wanted to finish school first - he got another call six weeks later and was told the position was still vacant.
So he started his railway journey on January 16, 1978, and began as a junior state assistant in Wollongong.
The Highlander worked in Wollongong and Fairy Meadow with this position, but also commuted one day a week to a station near Helensburgh.
He has had various responsibilities over the years such as cleaning kerosene lamps at Bellambi, working as a station assistant and worked in a station box at Scarborough Station which no longer exists.
Mr Bond was also an assistant station master at Thirroul and worked in Bargo before he came to Bowral.
When he began working at Bowral, he said "the rest was history".
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Briannah Devlin
I like to write about arts, entertainment, any local reality tv leads, and property for the Southern Highland News and Goulburn Post, but also report on everything in between. If you have any tips, please send them to Briannah.Devlin@austcommunitymedia.com.au, or call 0439142204.
I like to write about arts, entertainment, any local reality tv leads, and property for the Southern Highland News and Goulburn Post, but also report on everything in between. If you have any tips, please send them to Briannah.Devlin@austcommunitymedia.com.au, or call 0439142204.
