09 JUNE 2021 | ISSUE 476 | FREE
Wearing their yellow fluro jackets, posties Di and Doug Proud delivered the mail for the last time in Nagambie on Friday May 28. The Proud family first came to Nagambie in July 1992 instantly falling in love with the town and its people. “We bought fish and chips from Anthony’s Restaurant and Takeaway (now Nagambie Bargains) and sat by the lake to have lunch. We said to our three young sons ‘Would you like to live here?’ The rest is history! More than seven years ago Doug closed his hardware store in town and Di finished compiling the Nagambie Voice A4 community newsletter to take on the role of postal contractors. Since October 2014 posties, Di and Doug Proud have gone ‘above and beyond’ delivering our mail every day contending with rain, wind, heat, cold, and obstacles such as dogs and road and path construction. The Community Voice caught up with Doug and Di as they started their final day of mail deliveries in Nagambie. Delivering the daily mail to a community is not as easy as it sounds and each day the postie is presented with many challenges.
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Doug and Di take away some incredible mail delivery stories. “The most memorable mail delivery was riding the motorbike through grass on a nature strip and feeling something hit my leg. I looked down and saw a snake slithering away!” Doug said. “Regularly delivering parcels to a house where a young boy thought I bought and delivered lots of presents especially for him, not that his mother was making online purchases. He thought I was very generous,” laughed Di. “Trying to deliver large items to very small letterboxes while keeping them out of the weather posed quite a problem as did the swooping magpies. Delivering very large and heavy parcels up steep driveways was also hard,” said Di. Christmas is traditionally busy with delivering parcels, however the pandemic has taken postal delivery to another level and the amount of packages skyrocketed during the coronavirus lockdown. “With the increase and popularity of online shopping, prior to the Covid19 pandemic, the volume of parcels had tripled in Nagambie, but last year the daily number just went through the roof!” Said Di. After 7 ½ years of early morning starts regardless of the weather there are a few things the Prouds will not miss. “The extremes in the weather is something we really won’t miss along with the early mornings. Doug would be at the mailroom at 4.30 am each morning to unload and I would get there at 6.00 am. They were very long days,” said Di.
“The greatest challenges for the postie are other vehicles on the road when drivers don’t see or hear the postie bike, particularly around schools and day care centres at drop off and pick up times. Drivers reversing out of driveways even though fluro protective clothing should make the postie visible,” said Doug.
What plans do the Proud family have for the remainder of 2021 and beyond?
“Manoeuvring around obstacles on nature strips, avoiding swooping magpies, unleashed dogs, snakes, rabbits crossing the path of the motorbike and cats jumping out of trees,” laughed Doug.
“Having lived in a few places, Nagambie is our piece of paradise we call home. We wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
One surprising highlight of the job, had been the dogs they met along the way.
“We would sincerely like to thank the many who have offered their sincere congratulations and best wishes on our retirement and for the amazing array of gifts. The comments delivered personally and on social media have been overwhelming and we thank you all. It has been our pleasure to serve you all as your Nagambie posties. We wish Andrew and Alley all the best as our replacements and know that they too will do a great job.”
“Only once did a dog chase the bike but it soon tired and gave up,” said Doug. “When delivering parcels, if a dog is loose in the front yard, then policy is not to enter. However, over the years and being a dog lover, I have loved seeing many furry friends. I will really miss the likes of Miffy, Kermit, Seaweed, Ruby and Drama just to name a few,” smiled Di.
“We plan to get our house and garden in order, catch up with friends that we haven’t seen in recent years and maybe take a few short trips if Covid restrictions permit.
“We will miss the people! There are so many lovely people in Nagambie who are very appreciative of others, kind and thoughtful. People just seem to be constantly looking out for others which is a lovely attribute. The best thing is we are not leaving Nagambie so we will hopefully cross paths with many,” said Di. Andrew Biggs, Nagambie Postal Manager will take over the mail box delivery from Doug and Alison Biggs the parcel delivery. Bec Proud, the Proud’s daughter in-law will be the post office clerk for everyday post office services.
Thanks Doug and Di Proud for your excellent and friendly services to our community for the past seven years. It has been appreciated by so many. Good luck in your retirement.
Everyone is welcome to join Doug and Di for lunch at the Nagambie Rowing Club on Saturday 19 June from 12midday to celebrate their retirement and congratulate them on a job well done - Book yourself and your family a seat.