Newsreader Julian Abbott delivers his final news bulletin on Friday morning, after 32 years with ABC Radio Canberra and 42 years in the radio industry.
Listeners will miss his dry sense of humour, his wry observations of life, his authoritative voice and his banter with presenters, not only with those still working, but past names such as Alex Sloan, Chris Uhlmann, David Kilby and Rod Quinn.
"I've been here for 32-and-a-half years. I started on the 27th of October 1991. It was a Sunday and I started by reading local news bulletins," he said.
"Initially, I came here for two weeks' work and here I am, 32-and-a-half years later."
He also worked for national sports program Grandstand for 25 years, in the Canberra host studio, delivering sports updates to the eastern states and across to New Zealand.
"Grandstand presented me with plenty of opportunities, I got to go to Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games," he said.
"I hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2006 in Melbourne, I hosted the Beijing Olympics. I went to the London Olympics as well."
Abbott, who turns 60 in September, will deliver his final bulletin at 8am on Friday after a week of tributes and memories from listeners.
"I've worked with really good people and that's the thing I'm going to miss most, the people," he said. "It's been great to sit here and watch people progress through the ranks, become overseas correspondents, go off and get jobs with the BBC or CNN. It's been wonderful."
Abbott is a true Canberra product, born and bred in the national capital.
"My wife is born and bred. My daughters were born in Canberra. My wife's parents were born in Canberra. We're a Canberra family," he said.
Growing up, he lived briefly in Red Hill before his father decided to move the family to "the wild west of Curtin".
He went to Curtin South Primary School and Canberra Grammar School.
His first job in radio was with 3XY in Melbourne and he then worked at regional stations in Cooma and Wagga Wagga to gain more experience. Back in Canberra, he worked at 2CA, meeting his now wife, Amanda Emerton, at the station. They have two daughters, Elizabeth, 30, and Sarah, 26.
He's never been too precious to share his observations on the minutiae of Canberra life and have a laugh with the presenters after delivering the hard-hitting news.
"News is a very serious business and there's a lot of tragedy and disaster in the world, so you've got to have a lot of light and shade when it comes to it," he said.
He was initially a newsreader only but as the years went on, edited and wrote the bulletin.
"I only ever missed one bulletin and that's because I was playing table tennis with Rod Quinn," he said.
Now living in Hackett, Abbott plans to do some travelling in his retirement. He also likes to do floristry, inspired by his daughter Elizabeth, who is a trained florist. He's even done bouquets for a colleague's wedding.
Elizabeth has a health condition which prevents her from working. Abbott started doing flower arranging to share in her interest.
And in his retirement, Abbott will also continue to do a podcast - The Giblets Gazette - with ABC Radio Canberra colleague Ross Solly.
He has loved the connection with his audience, especially poignant while on-air during the 2003 bushfires. And is, still, always being ready for a laugh.
"I was at Bunnings one day and the bloke said, 'Where do I know you from?' and I said, 'I'd don't think I've ever met you'. And he said, 'I know that voice from somewhere'.
"I said, 'Well, I work for the radio'. He said, 'You're Julian Abbott aren't you?'."
You may not know the face, but you definitely know the voice.
