Miss Rawlinson will retire on Friday after 41 years delivering the mail in Melton.

Her first delivery was on June 20, 1967. Back then, Miss Rawlinson had a part-time stint delivering mail on horseback as she filled in for the girl on the Toolern Vale run, and her first full-time round was in Melton South.

"I was probably one of the first motorbike posties," she says.

It was being able to spend most of her working day outside that attracted her to the postal service.

"Back then, the work choices were a bit slim and I didn't want to be stuck inside a factory all day," she recalls.

"The older people got to know me and you often stop and see how they're doing. They were kids when I first started and now I'm delivering to their kids and grandchildren."

Miss Rawlinson has seen a few changes - and not just the fields disappearing as Melton grew. She says there isn't much hand-written mail in her bag these days.

"When I started, Melton South was just a house here and a house there. People used to come out in summer with a cool drink. Now it's all filled in and the freeway is there."

Miss Rawlinson is not sure what she's going to do when she hangs up her helmet and mailbag - other than have a good sleep-in after decades of 6am starts.