June 8th, 2020Our essential services
BACK in April, the reality of the pandemic began to sink in. People gradually realised the crisis was going to affect everyone, not just a few tourists coming back from overseas.
Even here in the Central Highlands, a place well removed from the distractions of national and international news cycles, the reality of the health situation really began to bite. And if there was one instance that truly brought the situation home before anything else, it was when Luke Zu and Steve Mason at the Daylesford Post Office suddenly began greeting customers wearing masks and gloves.
“Most people understood why we did this,” recalls Luke. “But even today some are still going, ‘what’s with the masks?’
“Others say, ‘come on, look at you guys, you look like mummies,’ and I have to say, ‘this is all part of the work regulations coming from the government, not just me.’ But we always wear them to protect ourselves, the customers and also the whole community.”
At a time when mask wearing was something you saw on the news in places such as Wuhan, such a precaution put into clear focus just how important the humble mail service was and remains in a town like Daylesford.
Most people like to think they understand the importance of essential services, citing the value of medical facilities or supermarkets. The postal service is another of those essential services, but it tends to operate under a form of invisibility that is extraordinary.
Nonetheless, they operate despite health risks under a workload that has increased immensely over the last few months. To anyone visiting the grand old building at 86 Vincent St, the pressure Steve and Luke work under is clear.
A glance over their shoulders sees a back room filled to the brim with packages and mail, spilling out into the side hallway. And yet, it is easy to forget, as you make a grouchy enquiry about some overdue letter, just how critical the human component is to the mysterious unseen process that shunts tonnes of physical mail around the country every day.
“It has been very, very busy,” remarks Steve thoughtfully. “Everyone’s been ordering and everyone’s been sending. Most of the shops in the area and beyond are working almost solely online now and their regular customers are now buying online. While that’s happening, the entire mail delivery system has been subject to social distancing which has led to delays and disruptions.”
Theirs is a never ending task that must not falter, but if someone on the staff should get sick due to the virus, that’s it, the service is down for weeks. Incidentally, they also do not go out to eat during work hours, nor use the local supermarket.
They have imposed a degree of lockdown on themselves well beyond what many others would be prepared to accept. All in the name of keeping the service they provide open. Think of that the next time you are weirded out by the social distancing markers on the floor, the queues out the door or the masks and gloves. Going to pick up your mail in Creswick or Kyneton as an alternative is not a great option.
Image: left, Steve Mason and, right, Luke Zu, keep the community connected at Daylesford Post Office
Words & image: Tony Sawrey
