A Chapter Closes in Murrurundi

By Des Dugan

THE demise yesterday of the local Murrurundi Post Office is bound to create a lot of discomfort in the small town as the elderly miss bill-paying and banking services.

Today’s computer savvy populous are used to working the internet to do transactions; the elderly are not so fortunate.

The post manager and his wife have bitten the bullet and moved into retirement and by the end of next week, could be over the mountain and in Gloucester.

“It’s different to here, it has green grass,” post manager Graeme Turnbull commented with a smile on his face.

The Murrurundi post office building, no more.

Also by the end of next week almost all traces of the old post office will be gone along with the painting over of the sign and the removal of anything to suggest Australia Post.

It is to be turned into a store selling quilts and crystals.

Graeme has been post manager, as they are now called, in Murrurundi for the last 30 years.

During that time he was involved in many outside activities including presidency of the Bowling Club which he walked away from again with a smile on his face, it turned over a profit after a few hard years of losses.

His ex-bosses will now advertise for tenders to both house the post office and run the service.

In the meantime mail will be available during business hours at Dooley’s store in Mayne Street.

The arrangement will not suit many especially people from properties and the elderly with bill-paying.

Property owners will now have to come into town during daylight hours to collect mail while the elderly will have to remember their pin numbers, something they have not had to do for the last 30 years.