Will the postal pixies cope? Words by Aine Ryan
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n November 1998 Gerard Carroll came to Onslow with what was initially a five-year-plan and purchased the local Australia Post office. Located on Second Avenue, it has always been a small business, however this may be changing with the increasing population of the town. Gerard said he could see inevitable changes in the future. “I can see it’s going to get a lot busier,” he said. “It will have to get bigger and we are going to need to extend the counter and get more post office boxes put in.”
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He said the business was short-staffed and he would need to hire more employees. Mel Ward, Australia Posts’s Media and Communications Manager said: “While Australia Post does not have any plans to open an additional post office in the area, we will continue to monitor the needs of the community going forward.” The post office currently offers bill payment banking, money orders and transfers, gift cards and pre-paid cards, as well as identiy-related services such as passport applications and 100-point checks. Customers planning a holiday can also access a growing suite of travel products including passport photos, foreign currency and travel insurance. Stamps, packing products, post office boxes and a range of general merchandise are also available at the Onslow Licenced Post Office. Some Onslow residents said they thought the growing population would mean services like the post office would also need to grown. Diana Moriarty, manager at Minderoo Station said: “ The post office is an issue because it’s such a small area for now, but one of the fastest growing in Australia.” Gerard sees the changes as a good thing for his post office. It’ll help the business. Some people don’t like it, but progress is inevitable and you can’t stop it. “You’re better to work with it than against it.”