Rachel Lang
While some people count down the hours, minutes, and seconds until their workday is over, former disability sector worker Daryl Holmes does quite the opposite.
In fact, the 72-year-old loves earning a dollar so much that he lasted one whole day in retirement until the sheer boredom of it all became too much for him.
So he applied for a job at Newcastle's Wallsend McDonald's, about one hour's drive north of Sydney, and landed the gig.
Now he's become a local legend and is loved by his colleagues and customers alike.
Advert
"I have to keep busy, I can't just sit and do nothing ... if I can work another eight years now until I'm 80, that's fine with me," he told 9News.
He's one of McDonald's oldest employees and often imparts his wisdom on his far younger teen coworkers.
"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 told 2GB's Chris O'Keefe.
'I'm just like their grandfather.'
Advert
As per 9News, he said: "I used to joke, if I put all their ages together I've got all of them by two years."
He was hired as a customer experience leader, which means he greets customers as they walk in, helps them at the self-serve kiosk, and even handles table service for hungry diners.
"When people first started to walk in, they'd jump sideways 'cause you said, 'Hello'," he said.
Wallsend McDonald's operations consultant Cruise Monaghan says having Daryl there to lend a hand has become worth his weight in gold.
Advert
"Usually it'd just be sit down, don't get much, probably no communication from staff," Cruise said.
"Now Daryl comes in, makes sure everything is fine, checks on you, asks how your day has been - they love him."
Daryl has found his time working under the Golden Arches such a positive experience that he is urging other retirees to do the same.
He encourages fellow older Aussies who may be thinking about coming out of retirement.
"There's a lot of work out there," he told 2GB.
Advert
"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."
Plus, if you score a job at Macca's, there's always the chance at cosplaying the Monopoly guy when the yearly promotion rolls around... which is exactly what Daryl does.