Liam, also known as Cheeky, set out for his last run delivering Gunnedah Times to the homes of locals last Thursday, April 9.
Many were sad to see him go, after having firmly established his route four and a half years ago. When Cheeky first started, he only needed to deliver three papers. Since then, he has come a long way, delivering around 40 papers during his busiest time.
Gunnedah Times sat down with Cheeky to reflect on his time as a paper boy.
Q: How old were you when you first started working as a paper boy?
A: I was eight and a half years old. My brothers had been paper boys before me. Since they didn’t want to continue, I just took over.
Q: What has being a paper boy taught you?
A: I learnt how to talk with older people, I’ve also learnt a lot of patience.
Q: What were some highlights of the job?
A: There was one lady who would always give me food. One time she gave me scones, and she used to give me chicken noodle soup. There was another lady who would give me either a Mars bar or Snickers, then I’d go to another house and a different lady would give me a bag of lollies. And at Oak Tree I would get an ice cream. So, yeah, they treated me well.
Q: What will you miss most about being a paper boy?
A: Talking to the oldies…and the lollies.
Q: What would your advice for the next paper boy or paper girl be?
A: Be nice, and have patience.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to say?
A: I’ll miss doing the paper run. Since I’ve done it forever, I’m probably going to keep thinking every Thursday I have to go and do the paper run.
Liam “Cheeky” on his last day as a paper boy.
Liam “Cheeky” on his first day as a paper boy delivering to Oak Tree.
