Back in the day, Matt Dowling would see the rubbish truck roll past the front of the office while his ABC Mornings program was on air, put on a tune and walk home.
Four doors down from the office, with the morning show still blaring his tune of choice — most likely an 80s hit — he would put his bins out, grab an apple and wander back in just in time for his dulcet tones to catch any potential dead air.
“I didn’t even have to run, I’d step inside and have a bite to eat and then wander back in,” he said, laughing.
For 17 years, Mr Dowling has provided company for thousands upon thousands of listeners across the Goulburn Valley as they go about their morning routines, from driving to work to making children sandwiches for lunch to milking the cows.
On Friday, he signs off from behind the microphone for the final time, before beginning a new job managing Shepparton FoodShare from next week.
As he speaks to The News, sitting in the chair he’s filled for 17 years, he still leans forward into the microphone despite the ‘ON AIR’ sign behind him sitting still and off.
“I’m sad but I’m glad, in a way. I’m genuinely excited for what I’m going to but sad to be leaving,” he said.
Mr Dowling had a career in print and TV, including two stints each at Prime 7 and Nine and stints at the Border Mail in Albury, before settling into radio as ABC Goulburn Murray’s first breakfast presenter.
He’s still the only breakfast presenter the region has had.
“My attitude when I started was I might be here for a couple of years and then I'll see what happens, but I think just living here you know, you get involved in the community and certainly got involved with STAG and then you meet people, I met my partner, Anne, and all of a sudden life started to take root,” Mr Dowling said.
“And that’s why I’m staying here.”
ABC colleague and Victorian Country Hour host Warwick Long, who has worked alongside Mr Dowling for nearly 15 years, was “shattered” when he heard the news.
Partially because it meant farewelling a “beloved” colleague, but also because it would make him the senior citizen of the Shepparton office.
He said the office would miss his “encyclopaedic” knowledge of 1980s music, as well as the Barbecue Shape on his desk, which he had crafted into the shape of a man and preserved in plastic 16 years ago.
“He’s so proud of that,” Mr Long said, laughing.
However, he said he was thrilled about Mr Dowling’s next move.
“He’s one of the most community-minded people I’ve met, and he just cares about the community,” Mr Long said.
“He’s got so much experience as a journalist and can ask the hard questions of leaders but can also speak to a farmer out milking about how much rain they had overnight.
“He was very much the face of the ABC in the region for 17 years.”
Mr Dowling said he never really felt the pressure of taking on the maiden morning show in the region, and he had loved interacting with ABC listeners.
“I've been really blessed with such great listeners and I’m sure I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, but you get the regulars who text in and phone in and they’re terrific,” he said.
“There are some who might drop out of the blue from time to time who you build good relationships with, so I will miss that.
“A lot have been texting and calling in this week and it’s nice to be leaving with people saying ‘we’ll miss you’ rather than ‘good riddance’.”
Part of his core of listeners are the ABC’s “most devoted band of rainfall correspondents” who will relay how much rain they had at their place overnight.
“It’s a nice way to mention places like Upotipotpon and Yambuna and some of the more far-flung places people might not know about,” Mr Dowling said.
There have been plenty of highs and lows across the 17 years.
One memory that sticks out was while he was working during the Black Saturday bushfires and learning old colleague Brian Naylor had died at Kinglake, which he said was a “real shock”.
On the other side of the coin, he said he had plenty of fun behind the microphone, with regular contributors such as Anthony Brophy, who did 11 years of Vinyl Vault, and current Federal Member for Nicholls and former community leader Sam Birrell.
Mr Birrell and Mr Dowling combined for one of the latter’s favourite memories on radio, singing the Ballad of the Nathalia Python, a tune that was given another spin this week and that recounts the finding of freshly shedded python skin in Nathalia.
Mr Brophy, who spent 415 episodes showcasing a different recording and asking listeners about their memories of the track alongside Mr Dowling, said the presenter would be missed.
Mr Brophy said the impact of the segment was “intangible” and he often had people coming up to him and explaining the impact the songs he played had on them.
He said Mr Dowling had helped make the segment what it was.
“If I was down he would pick me up and bring the segment to life, and vice-versa,” he said.
The last Vinyl Vault was pre-recorded because he said he didn’t think the duo would be able to keep their eyes clear of tears if they did it live, and listening to it live he did shed a tear.
“He had a great general knowledge, he would see someone he’d met four or five years ago in Euroa and remember their name and what their conversation then was about,” Mr Brophy said.
However, Mr Dowling will still be in Shepparton, taking on the role at Shepparton FoodShare.
It won’t completely save him from early starts, moving from 5.30am to 7am, but the extra sleep will be a godsend following 17 years of the alarm going off with a four as the first digit.
He is excited about the move, leaning closer to the inactive microphone as he speaks about the new role, which to him feels like an extension of his community involvement with the ABC.
“I've done a lot of stories on FoodShare over the years on the program ... and I've always been really impressed with the work they've done,” he said.
“I guess my antenna was always up to think it was something that came along that you know would challenge me in a way I hadn’t been challenged before and be something completely different to what I’d done.
“It's interesting when I tell people I'm going to work at FoodShare, just the reaction you get, they say ‘oh, that's fantastic’ and there's a lot of love in the community for Shepparton FoodShare.
“A bit like the ABC, really.”