His political reign may be long over, but seniors still swoon when John Howard comes to town.
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Now 79, the energetic former prime minister draws plenty of attention as he moves from store to store at a Victor Harbor shopping centre, stopping for handshakes, selfies and even the odd kiss.
By his side is Georgina Downer, the Liberal Party's candidate at the upcoming Mayo by-election - shadowing party heavyweights is a role she's become familiar with over the lengthy campaign.
Her list of visitors over the past weeks has twice included Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, as well as Julie Bishop, Michaelia Cash, Simon Birmingham, Michael McCormack, Greg Hunt and Kelly O'Dwyer.
Several have spoken of their long associations with Ms Downer.
Mr Hunt told a mental health forum at Strathalbyn she is a potential future political star capable of "anything in Australia".
Mr Howard said their high-profile presence shows they believe their candidate can take the seat.
"It's an expression of confidence - if they thought she was a hopeless candidate, they wouldn't come," he said.
"Good candidates attract high-profile supporters."
Cynics might say it's more likely Ms Downer needs all the support she can get, or perhaps it's just a sign the seat is in play.
In any event, Ms Downer is clear: she's here to win.
The daughter of Alexander, who held the seat for 24 years, the 38-year-old grew up in the Adelaide Hills before she moved away to study at Melbourne University.
Since then, the lawyer and former diplomat has lived in the UK, Japan, Canberra and, contrary to reporting, spent time back in Mayo.
"When we left Japan we actually came back to the hills for the best part of 2014, we (she's married to lawyer William Heath) had our second child here," she said.
Ms Downer says while most people don't have a problem, they know she's a "Hills girl", she admits the barrage of criticism from some has been disappointing.
"I've come back home and I love being back home, I love being given this opportunity to put myself up to represent the electorate," she said.
"But I do find it frustrating that there is a very small section of the community that might not want their young people to come home, or might disparage South Australians who have gone out, coming back home.
"I think the message should be 'we want you to come back, bring back your experiences but put your roots down here because this is the best place in the world to live'."
As to whether she will stay should she lose, she'd rather not say.
"You don't run in these by-elections with the intention of losing," she says.
But winning will prove tough in the once-blue ribbon Liberal seat.
Ms Downer is up against a divided public and a formidable opponent in Rebekha Sharkie, who wrangled the electorate from the Liberals for the Nick Xenophon Team in 2016.
Ms Downer is unfazed by her opponent's historic win as the first non-Liberal to hold the seat and attributes her success to public curiosity surrounding Nick Xenophon.
"He was riding at a high then, and we've seen that the electorate has decided that his policy agenda was found wanting, he was exposed for not really having a policy agenda," she said.
"At the time there was a sense that he was a bit interesting and we might try him out."
Now a member of the rebadged Centre Alliance, Ms Sharkie was forced to resign from parliament earlier this year after she became caught up in the dual citizenship saga.
At the crux of her re-election campaign is her independent position in parliament and the benefits it brings to voters.
She contends she votes on the interests of the electorate, not along party lines, and says Mayo gets the attention of a marginal seat while in the hands of a crossbencher.
But Ms Downer says that's just rhetoric - no seat is ever safe.
"You can never take a seat for granted. I will never take Mayo for granted," she said.
She also rejects that Mayo was ignored under Liberal rule, pointing to funding for the Heysen tunnels, which were delivered in 2000.
"History shows that Mayo has had a lot of attention, and it's had a lot of attention I think, most importantly, because it's been represented by someone from the party of government and that's the powerful thing," she said.
"If you have someone from the party of government who is in your seat then you have such an enormous capacity to get those issues that you're concerned about in your electorate heard on the party room floor."
The pair also clash on Ms Sharkie's voting record. According to Ms Downer, her opponent has, since her election, voted with the Labor Party 58 per cent of the time.
"I would also add that when Nick Xenophon resigned from the Senate in October last year, her voting pattern changed quite dramatically," Ms Downer said.
"During that period... she upped her voting with Labor and the Greens to 76 per cent of the time."
But Ms Sharkie says her record indicates otherwise.
In a letter sent to voters in the electorate, she says she has sided with the government in 49 per cent of all House of Representatives Divisions, compared to 41 per cent of votes with the Opposition.
Numbers aside, should Ms Downer win, it will be a historic achievement. She will become the fourth generation MP in her family.
The significance of the occasion is certainly not lost on her.
"I'm proud of the service that my family has given to South Australia," she said.
"We are great advocates for South Australia. I'm thrilled to be back."
Mayo voters head to the polls on July 28.
Australian Associated Press