However, Mr King and his wife Brenda are now gearing up to leave that behind them as they shift focus in their lives to move closer to their family.

The pair will soon head south to Victoria where they plan to live in Shepparton to be nearer to the family they have there.

Mr King will also retire after decades of working within the sales industry that has seen stints with local radio, car dealerships and, for the last 16 years, in real estate with Breed & Hutchinson.

After arriving in Leeton aged two with his family, Mr King has built a life in the shire that has focused on not just his employment and family, but being part of the community.

He has been the chairman of Light Up Leeton since it first started more than two-and-a-half decades ago, played major roles with the Leeton SunRice Festival, Leeton on the Move and many more organisations.

His number one sporting love is the Phantoms Rugby Union Club, which he was the very first life member of, and he has often been called on to be the MC for all kinds of different events in the shire.

"It has been a great pleasure of mine to be involved with all of these community groups," Mr King said.

"I have made so many lifelong friends and have such great memories of all the fun we have had along the way.

"I would definitely encourage people in town to consider being part of community groups.

"Everyone is always looking for new faces and ideas. It's such a rewarding experience."

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While Mr King will be doing the rounds in the weeks ahead to say his goodbyes, he knows Leeton is only a few hours down the road from his new home.

"We'll definitely be back to visit," he said.

"We're just looking forward to being able to spend more time with family and the grandkids. I'll probably take up golf and just enjoy life.

"It will be nice not having to get up early every day, but just make our own schedule."

Having spent six decades living in Leeton, Mr King joked he could now call himself a "local".

He said it would certainly be a big change moving on from a place that he and his family holds so dear.

There's many farewells and beverages to be had between now and then, with Mr King hopeful he can catch up with as many people before taking off.

He also predicts Leeton will continue to grow and thrive in the years ahead.

"Leeton is such a resilient community, there's been a lot of change over the years, but we have always come out on the other end," Mr King said.

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