The 65-year-old retired from the Otago Daily Times last night having worked for Allied Press his entire career.
He started out in 1966, as a linotype operator on the Evening Star aged just 16.
His decision to enter the newspaper business was more about what he did not want to do, he said.
''I didn't want to work in a store or anything like that and I always liked reading and English, so I drifted towards the idea of printing.''
Over the decades, he worked in different areas of the company's printing departments, moving with the times as computers and technology took over.
''I found it a relief. It was a lot quieter than the old heavy metal thing.''
A stint as a reel hand, helping put the paper on the press, ended when a new press was put in and he became a plate maker.
He then returned to the press room as a reel hand, where he worked until his retirement.
The first priority of his retirement, after a short holiday, would be to do some work around the house and adjust to not having to go to work at 10pm.
''Adjusting to a different sleep pattern might take a little while.''
