Yesterday Mr Gibbons was awarded with a bicentenary medal for his contribution, as Australia Post marked 200 years of service with a celebration at the Old Launceston Post Office building.

Mr Gibbons has worked for Australia Post for seven years and said that the memory of his first day was one he would never forget.

"I went to deliver my first parcel at a home in town, I was very casual and didn't even check for a guard dog," he said.

"I was attacked by the dog, but all the lads at work did was laugh at me and say `welcome to Australia Post'."

From almost 1000 nominations, 250 staff from around Australia were selected to receive the medal, five of those from Tasmania.

The other recipients were Tim Bass and Andrew Collins, of Launceston, Shirley Freeman, of Avoca, and Geoff Mills, of Burnie.

Australia Post's Tasmanian manager Nick Connor said that the medals were awarded to those who were valuable members of the institution.

"For five people from Tasmania to receive a medal is a real credit to all the staff, licensees and mail contractors across the country who deliver some 21 million items of mail and service a million customers every day," Mr Connor said.

"These medals recognise the important contribution our people have made to the business, customers and the communities it operates in over the last 200 years."