A big smile is on his face as his feet rest on the back of his 110cc Honda ‘postie’ bike.
Growing up on his family farm, Mr Gattuso always had bikes around but was never into motocross and the like.
‘‘I have owned this bike for about 10 years... when I bought it from Australia Post it only had 5000km on it; it’s currently got just over 16,500km on the clock.
‘‘Unfortunately it has become too expensive to register as a daily rider so I use recreational registration for insurance purposes so that I am covered, and I use it on occasion to get myself to work.’’
A barber for the past 29 years in Cobram, Mr Gattuso always wanted a barber shop.
‘‘I loved the old-style barber shops.
‘‘They were often cluttered with history and mementos, it was organised chaos.’’
Perhaps intimate might be an appropriate word.
‘‘You have to be careful in knowing which customers do like to talk and those who don’t; I refer to the barber’s chair at times as ‘the soapbox’.
‘‘There have been times where a customer who is in a difficult circumstance really tells how they are feeling or what’s going on in their lives, opening up and you catch your breath and just go, ‘whoa’.
‘‘They can get things off their chest with no judgement from me.’’
Mr Gattuso likes the relationship he has with his clients. The barbershop becomes a spot for clients to come to and talk about everyday things, catch up on local goings-on.
‘‘I learn so much during an ordinary day, about what’s going on in the community just by chatting with my clients.’’
Asked if barbering is a dying trade Mr Gattuso is quite adamant.
‘‘No, if anything it has really taken off, thanks to people such as the hipsters, it seems like barbering is on the rise with people simply wanting to walk in with no appointment and enjoying the ambience of the ‘olde worlde’ barbershop.’’
And what does Mr Gattuso like to do in his downtime?
He rides postie bikes in the Buffalo Ranges of Victoria with a group of other like-minded two-wheel enthusiasts. And while it’s all about fun, there is some good charitable work being done.
Back in the 1960s and 70s Honda motorcycles used a character called Skeeta Grimshaw to advertise the Honda 90 farm bikes.
The name has stuck with the Skeeta Grimshaw Run.
Held in the Wonnangatta region near Mount Buffalo, a group of postie bike fans hold a gathering celebrating all things postal bike.
‘‘The great thing about being on motorcycles amongst this scenery is you have the chance to take it all in, it is almost surreal, just beautiful and peaceful.’’
This group of between 30 and 40 riders is described by Mr Gattuso as, ‘‘very entertaining to watch.’’
‘‘All involved take an opportunity to blow off a bit of steam, leaving the real world for a couple of days.”
The Shepparton-based group has supported fundraising for worthy charities such Give Me 5 for Kids.
‘‘Because so much is donated for our events, the money we raise goes straight back to the charities and it stays in the area.
‘‘It is a great opportunity for the group to bond and my nephew (who) is a huge fan of the trips to the bush has thanked me for getting him involved.
‘‘We have certainly become closer whilst taking part together.’’
The FUN Skeeta Photos and Videos page can be found on Facebook.
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