Geelong Cats president Colin Carter had humble work life beginnings sorting letters at post office

GEELONG Cats president Colin Carter has been distinguished as a man of letters from his very first working days at the local post office.

Geelong Cats president Colin Carter has endorsed News Corp’s 5000 jobs campaign and shared his early work experiences at the local post office. Picture: Nigel Hallett

GEELONG Cats president Colin Carter has been distinguished as a man of letters from his very first working days.

Long before studies at Harvard he was hard at it sorting letters at Ashburton Post Office, his first paid job.

“Christmas work at the post office overnight sorting mail as a 15 year-old,” Mr Carter recalled this week.

“Those were the jobs ... I don’t know if they exist any more, they probably don’t.

“They used to hire kids to help sort letters with all of the stuff going through.”

The eminent business strategist and management consultant, whose postings have included as an AFL commissioner, director of Wesfarmers, World Vision, Seek and Lend Lease, can’t remember how much he was paid for the privilege of pointing the ‘staggering’ volume of Christmas mail in right directions.

“But I can remember my first full-time job which was also at the post office was 10 pounds a week, which is starting to stamp me as a bit too old,” Mr Carter revealed for News Corp’s 5000 jobs in 50 days campaign.

“I was a clerk in the old PMG department days, I hadn’t done well enough at school to get a scholarship to university, too much following Polly Farmer and the football.”

Mr Carter endorsed the 5000 jobs campaign and its emphasis on encouraging employers to give people their first jobs.

“I’m a great believer by the way in part-time jobs for kids when they’re at school because it’s a rite of passage into the workforce,” he said.

“My kids all had jobs packing shelves at Safeway on a Friday night and Saturday night and stuff like that, I think it’s important.”

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Originally published as Geelong Cats president Colin Carter had humble work life beginnings sorting letters at post office