A pensioner who came out of retirement to take up a job working at his local McDonald's has become a much-loved member of staff among patrons.
Daryl Holmes, 72, used to work in the disability sector before he went into retirement six years ago, but spent just one day at home before he realised he didn't want to be stuck at home all day without anything to do.
The man, from Australia, then applied for a job in his local McDonald's just north of Sydney, where he now works as a customer experience leader and spends his days greeting customers and helping them use the self-serve kiosks.
Daryl said he has "always loved to work" and found retirement difficult to cope with, as he had nothing to occupy his time - especially as his wife was also still in employment.
Speaking on Sydney radio station 2GB to host Chris O'Keefe, he said: "I've been playing golf all my life and for me, I've always loved to work. My wife was still working and had several more years to work so I wasn't going to sit back. I was going to go out and find something that I could actually apply myself to and enjoy it at the same time."
The man has been working at McDonald's for six years and is one of the fast food chain's oldest Australian employees - and he loves nothing more than passing his knowledge down to his younger colleagues.
"I just talk about the importance of enjoying what you do, learning from it and making sure they've got someone when times are tough to talk to," he explained, "I'm just like their grandfather."
Daryl described the people he works with as "amazing" and a "real privilege to work with", and said he feels part of the tight-knit team that his local McDonald's has built.
One of his favourite parts of the job is the annual McDonald's Monopoly promotions, as he dresses up as the board game mascot Rich Uncle Pennybags - complete with a white moustache, top hat, and bowtie.
In fact, Daryl loves his job so much that he hasn't ruled out working at the fast food restaurant until he's 80, and has even encouraged other retirees to try applying for jobs if they're bored at home.
He said: "There's a lot of work out there. Employers want to know what you can do, not what you can't. If you can say to people 'I can do this,' you have a very good chance of selling yourself."
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