If you ask Donny Rumney, putting on a schmick pair of shoes can make the start of your day a good one.
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Armed with a stool, a milk crate and his box of polishes and cleaning agents, Donny has been plying his craft outside Newcastle Courthouse most days in recent months.
Donny knows his stuff and takes pride in the service he offers. A former saddler who is experienced at working with leather, he can spot water damage on your footwear that the untrained eye might not see and as you sit on his stool he will talk you through which parts of your shoe need the most care.
Newcastle Herald news: The latest headlines from Newcastle and the Hunter
When Topics visited Donny on Tuesday, Ryan Wall was getting a shoe shine for the first time.
"No-one else is shining shoes these days are they? Well not too many people," he said.
"It's almost a bit of a novelty but at the same time I know my shoes needed a bit of a touch up."
Donny, who sleeps rough in his car, said he got into shoe shining during his time living on the streets.
"Everywhere you looked, there were dirty shoes - like yours," he told Topics. "As long as you treat them right, they come up amazing."
Donny sets up outside the courthouse on Hunter Street most days until about 1pm.
He charges $5 for a colour and $5 for a seal - effectively $10 to get your shoes properly done.
"I find if you can put on a good shiny set of shoes, it sets you up for the day," he said. "I see even the barristers walk past with dirty shoes and I'm on their case. It's working."
Follow your nose
Topics loves it when a police dog has a win. PD Vegas helped police track down a missing person in the Wallsend area last week.
The missing person was found safe and well and NSW Police gave a shoutout to the canine cop on Facebook on Monday.
Back to the future
It's no secret that starting a career in your early 20s and sticking with it until retirement age isn't a reality for many members of the younger generations.
But for everyone else, there might not be much choice aside from change.
A new report from Deakin University, Griffith University and Ford Australia has found the next decade will bring changes to almost every job in this country. The researchers reckon some jobs will vanish entirely, while new ones will appear.
They have put together an online quiz for people to find out what job they might have down the track.
There's everything from an artificial intelligence educator - someone who helps people learn how to make the most of AI - to an algorithm interpreter or virtual surgeon - a doctor who performs surgery using virtual technology.
Take a look into the crystal ball at 100jobsofthefuture.com/quiz
- topics@newcastleherald.com.au
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