Dubbo stock and station agent Peter Milling has celebrated his 90th birthday, the milestone featuring two hallmarks of his life - good friends and diligent work.
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The city's newest nonagenarian was treated to morning tea on Tuesday, but then returned to the office of the firm he founded rather than taking the day off.
Mr Milling considers it a "privilege" to be a stock and station agent, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, who started OL Milling and Co in 1914 at Dunedoo, and his father.
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"I still get to work each day, and I enjoy it, and I like the cut and thrust of business," Mr Milling said.
"I'm intrigued with it and I like being a stock and station agent. I've made a lot of good friends, which was evidenced today by my phone starting to ring about half past six and it didn't stop until I got over here about 10 o'clock...
"I've had a really great life as a stock and station agent, it's interesting and you meet thousands and thousands of people, and most of them are very good people, particularly the land people.
"You become - I don't say you become part of the family but you become a close friend of a lot of people."
Born the same year as aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith made a series of record-breaking flights, Mr Milling started early in the family business.
He's seen the communications that business relies on evolve from party lines to mobiles, and recalled as a youngster answering the phone when his father was not there, recording the clients' names for callbacks.
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A lesson from his grandfather on his first day of work has remained with him for more than seven decades.
"I walked into his office, he had a big office, and always wore a three-piece suit... always a tie and shiny black boots, lace-up boots, in those days, and a grey felt hat," Mr Milling said.
"He looked at me and he said 'Have you got a tie?' and I said 'I've got a school tie'."
The elder Mr Milling told his teen grandson to "go home and put it on and be back here in 10 minutes".
"I went home and put it on and... I've never ever been to work, I don't think in my life, without my tie on," Mr Milling said.
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As well as serving clients, the veteran of the industry was the 1997 inductee of the Dubbo Chamber of Commerce's Emile Serisier Roll of Honour.
Mr Milling is optimistic the agricultural industry has "enormous potential" and that Dubbo has good prospects, highlighting the city's saleyards, its central geographical location with good transport links, and the growth in its health facilities.
He paid tribute to his late wife, Toni, and his "three most beautiful daughters".
Mr Milling says he intends to "just go on doing what I do".
"I don't do anything like the work I used to do in the firm," he said.
"I don't draught the cattle anymore or the sheep, but I'm here.
"And lots of farmers come in and talk to me and want to know what I think of this, or what they think of that, it's a good association to have with people..."
Faye Wheeler
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
