General News
8 July, 2024
Meryl’s last delivery
Since 1985, the contents of our letterboxes have drastically changed — with telegrams and eloquent hand-written correspondence overwhelmingly replaced by Amazon packages, tedious notices and official mail. A witness to this shift, straight from...
Since 1985, the contents of our letterboxes have drastically changed — with telegrams and eloquent hand-written correspondence overwhelmingly replaced by Amazon packages, tedious notices and official mail.
A witness to this shift, straight from the frontline is postwoman Meryl Weston, who after nearly 40 years of service, mounted her bike one last time on July 5.
And as she set off on her final round, it was with the knowledge that her deliveries over the years have included more than just material goods.
“Inside and outside the post office, I’ve met the most [remarkable] people and have been able to form lifelong connections,” Ms Weston said.
“Over my career, I’ve gotten to know just about everyone and they also look forward to seeing me when I’m out on the job.
“Sometimes seeing [me] was the only social interaction some people had so while getting the mail to them was important, so was connecting with them.”
The 62-year-old started working at the local post office as a postie in 1985, at a time when women weren’t commonly seen in the role.
When Ms Weston joined, she was the only female staff member — and for a “very long time” remained the sole woman at the postal organisation in town.
What started as a “lonely” tenure, is now ending on a very different note.
“Back then it was a very male dominated field,” Ms Weston said.
“But if customers walk in today, they’ll see women [commanding] the space.
“It’s extraordinary to be honest — I began my job feeling a bit isolated but now it feels like I’m leaving a [community].”
Alongside an increase in gender diversity, Ms Weston recalls a number of other changes that transformed the face of the industry.
“Telegrams were still being used [and] the mail came in canvas bags,” she said.
“The posties all rode push bikes too — they were heavy, had leather seats and were not built for comfort at all. If you had a puncture on the round, you carried a repair kit to fix it. I was quite good at fixing punctures.
“Today posties are on e-bikes and get their punctures repaired by someone else.
“[We also] enjoyed when the HSC (now VCE) results came by mail and we would have kids come to the post office early in the morning with their parents — it was [a different] time.”
While postal services, like all fields are continually evolving with technology, there’s been a lingering constant in Ms Weston’s four decade long work-life.
“I have always loved my job,” she said.
“I will truly miss being a postie to the people of Maryborough — you have made my journey interesting, funny and sad.
“I leave you in the [capable] hands of the staff at the Maryborough Post Office and the best feeling in the job [for all of us] is helping and looking after the people in the town.”
