On Wednesday, when he decided to call it a day after an incredible 40 years at the company, Mr Thirkell joined a very select group of employees who had spent their adult working lives at the Orange business.

At a ceremony in front of his friends and colleagues, Mr Thirkell was recognised by his bosses as well as mayor Reg Kidd.

"I really, really enjoyed working here and I've made a lot of friends," Mr Thirkell said.

"Forty years is a long time.... I've been thinking about retiring for a while," he added.

Mr Thirkell joked that he had been working at Wangarang for so long that when he started as a teenager lunchbreaks were an hour-long. They had since been reduced to 30 minutes. His suggestion that breaks again be extended to an hour drew a round of applause.

His employers described Mr Thirkell as a "valuable employee" who was "a pleasure to work with" and got along with everyone. Additionally, he was "always willing to help others".

When it came to his retirement, Mr Thirkell said he was most looking forward to relaxing and spending more time with his elderly mother in Cowra.

As much as he would miss his colleagues, one thing Mr Thirkell said he wouldn't miss about Wangarang was "getting up early in the morning".

"I will miss everyone but I had a good run so I'm quite happy to retire," he said.

For the time being, he plans to stay home and "take it easy for a while".

Mr Thirkell commenced work at Wangarang on January 27, 1981. His last day was on Wednesday, June 10.

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