Why a community service must continue to serve

If there is a demand for a Post Office in this new developing area of Delacombe the obvious thing to do is open a new Post Office and leave the Sebastopol Post Office in Sebastopol.

After all there has been a Post Office in Sebastopol, in various forms, I might add, since 1857.

What do you think about Australia Post pulling out of Sebastopol? Have you say below

The former Borough of Sebastopol was formed in 1864 and the Post Office preceded this, serving the miners and community in those very early years of the "Gold Rush".

The "Borough Post Office" has served the community extremely well through the gold rush, two World Wars, the great depression, the demise of Sebastopol after the gold rush, the re-building of Sebastopol after the Second World War to the thriving community it is today.

READ MORE: Sebastopol post office: Residents prepare petition to parliament

The local Post Office must remain to serve the community as it has done for the past 163 years.

When the Post Code system was established some decades ago Sebastopol was allocated it's very own Post Code, 3356. Will 3356 disappear with the change?

READ MORE: Fury at closure of Sebastopol post office | YOUR SAY

My earliest memories (1940's) of the local Post Office go back to when it was a small office where the postmaster served you through a window.

The office was located in a building which is still located just north of the Sebastopol Fire Station.

There was a well- worn bluestone step at the window for small children and little old ladies to gain access to the window ledge. A small entrance porch had a typical post office counter with a nib pen and two inkwells, red and black, along with of course, blotting paper.

Whilst I remember a number of the postmasters, Mr McNamara stands out a real character.

He was also the Ballarat "Weather Man" and he took details of temperature, rainfall, cloud structure each day at both 3.00am and 3.00pm. He then despatched his information by Morse Code and then telephone to the Weather Bureau in Melbourne. He could be serving a customer and on the dot of 3.00pm would rush out to take the readings and then continue serving.

Sebastopol had two postie's who delivered the mail twice a day. The incoming and outgoing mail was delivered in a canvas bag by tram from and to the Ballarat Post Office and the Trammie would dong the bell on the other side of Albert Street for the posties to collect the mail and then sort and deliver. How times have changed.

Saturday was always a busy day at the post office with one or two "telegram boys" ready and waiting to deliver telegrams to the home of a local bride or groom who happened to be getting married that day. Sometimes the telegram boy would have to make several trips to the one address on Satdy' arvo.

If you happened to be at the post office you could hear the morse code key tapping out the wording of the telegrams.

Of course, if one were to go further back in the history of the Sebastopol Post Office one would note the sadness of a telegram telling of the news of a local resident who had been killed in either of the two world wars. I am told that the local minister or priest would accompany the telegram boy on such sad missions.

Sebastopol Post Office has a long and fascinating history and the postal officers have served the community with pride and efficiency.

Every local Post Office was, and still is, a vital part of any community, including Sebastopol and the local residents have every right to continue to have access this vital service.

I would suspect that those making such a decision at Australia Post have no idea of just where Sebastopol is, other than the name on a spreadsheet printed from a computer.

Paul Jenkins, OAM. is a Former Mayor and Councillor, of the Borough of Sebastopol.

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