Public Service

From Facebook Archives, and still relevant even though Royal Mail has been privatised.

22 August 2013 at 18:38 ·

My Dad was a rural postman covering some very remote dwellings.  

Sometimes he was the only person visiting or passing by a house in a day (or ever).   

This meant he was aware if someone was missing, or ill, or needed help. 

To him being a postman wasn't just about delivering mail, it was about looking after the people on his round, helping them if they were indisposed, raising the alarm if there was something seriously wrong, or even just bringing the newspaper, gossip and a moment's companionship to someone alone and lonely.   

He even took a Red Cross first aid course (subsidised by the GPO*) so that he could do the right thing - and used those skills on more than one occasion.   

The GPO was more than a delivery business, it was a public service, and Royal Mail should be the same.

*General Post Office – for those too young to know.