Across his 62-year career, Horsham barber Peter Pickering has met all sorts and given all types of cuts, from classic styles to poorly-aged trends.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Known for his good humour and ability to yarn with customers, Mr Pickering has been a fixture in Horsham for the past 54 years, owning five separate shops in Horsham alone.
On Thursday, June 30 the barber will hang up the clippers and call time on his lengthy career, which began in Murtoa in 1960.
Mr Pickering said he first began barbering under the direction of Jack Blay, Murtoa's hairdresser at the time.
READ MORE:
"I was out there one day and thought 'this wouldn't be too bad'. I talked to him and asked him how he got started and he said he did an apprenticeship," he said.
"I said where do you do that? He said at a barbershop, and I said can you do mine? That is how I got started."
For the next three years, Mr Pickering barbered in Murtoa as Mr Blay's apprentice before moving to Melbourne to attend the College of Hairdressing.
During his time in Murtoa, Mr Pickering said he had made some fond memories.
"When I was doing my apprenticeship there was this one kid who was three years old, but he was a big kid and strong. His mother brought him in for a haircut," he said.
The only haircut that really stood out to me was the mullet, and I still hate the bloody things
"The boss said to the mum 'look it might be better if you go out the front and he might behave himself if you are not here'.
"She went out and then he grabbed him and laid him out on his stomach on the floor. He told me to put my knee on his back and we cut his hair on the ground.
"That bloke came back about 35 years later when I was in Horsham and I said 'do you remember your first haircut?' he said no and I thought that is good."
After studying at the college, Mr Pickering's barbering career would take him to Melbourne, Ballarat and then Alice Springs.
"Ballarat was too bloody cold so I went to Alice Springs for seven months," he said.
"I started up there and my first day was 45 degrees.
"The old man rang me up and told me about a barbershop, fully set up in Minyip with a three-bedroom apartment in the back and they wanted $6 a week rent.
"I thought $6 a week rent, I am not going to lose any money - that was only about six haircuts."
With farms growing larger and people moving to bigger regional centres, however, Mr Pickering's customer base in Minyip had dried up.
In 1968 he moved to Horsham and began barbering, where he would stay for the rest of his career.
He said hairstyles had come "full circle" from when he began all those years ago.
"This is my fifth shop in Horsham. Everywhere I went they either knocked it down or sold it off to someone else," he said.
OTHER NEWS:
"It has just gone around in circles. When I started it was that stupid looking back and sides and now it has gone back.
"It was like that for the first couple of years, and then the Beatles come around so it was pretty quiet while everyone grew their hair. Now it has gone back.
"The only haircut that really stood out to me was the mullet, and I still hate the bloody things."
During his time in Horsham, Mr Pickering has cultivated a loyal customer base who come to him for a good cut and a good chat.
He said many of his customers were multi-generational.
"I have had blokes come in and say, 'you gave me my first haircut' and then they would bring their kid in for their first haircut as well," he said.
People ask me how I have done it for so long and I say I love coming to work
"There was one bloke, a Richmond supporter, and about 35 years ago he said to me 'when they win the flag we should get a tattoo of a tiger on our leg'. I said righto, the way Richmond was going I thought they would never win one.
"It ended up in 2017 they had won, I had hoped he had forgotten. But he came in for a haircut, I didn't say anything, gave him the haircut and he paid me. Then he said 'when are we getting that tattoo'.
"We booked in a local tattoo artist and got it. Luckily the wife likes it. She is a Richmond supporter too."
Following his retirement, Mr Pickering plans to travel Australia with his wife and play table tennis with friends at the University of the Third Age to pass the time.
He said he was not looking forward to closing the door of his shop for the final time.
"People ask me how I have done it for so long and I say I love coming to work," he said.
"I don't get Mondayitis."
If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Wimmera Mail-Times, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling your stories. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.