Business owner's tough decision to move on after 26 years

Postie Sue and her family are selling up and moving on

SELLING UP: After running the Mirani Post Office for 26 years, Sue McNichol and her family are selling up and moving on. Picture: Stuart Quinn

POSTIE Sue may soon sort the last batch of mail in Mirani after 26 years of watching the town grow from the confines of her post office counter.

Sue McNichol, 60, and her husband Peter have decided to put their three-bedroom Alexandra St family home and adjoining Australia Post branch on the market.

The McNichol family moved into 5 Alexander St in 1992, when their eldest child Hayley was about 9-years-old, as a way to make a second income.

"I could totally talk myself out of selling, there are many reasons not to sell," she said.

"It's a good lifestyle, I get to live on the job, I can come and go, I have the grandkids here.

"It has been good to me, I can't say anything bad about it but I guess it's time to move on."

Now a grandmother of four with one more on the way, Mrs McNichol said she'd love to have a bit more flexibility with her time, and spend more of it with her three children Hayley, Haydn, and Elyse.

Mirani Post Office is for sale. Sue McNichol with granddaughter Amelia, 1 and daughter Elyse. Picture: Stuart Quinn

Mrs McNichol's day begins about 5am every day, when she sorts the mail, and is done by 7.30 most mornings before getting the store ready for a 9am opening time.

Her processes have changed over the decades but the stream of characters has been constant.

"When I first started off we did everything on books, you wrote everything, now it's on the computer," she said.

"And the people here are great... you see the kids come and go, they've all grown up and gone to school and some have kids of their own now.

"You see the kids come in with their school books and then they have their learner's licence.

"It's a bit scary watching the world go by from behind the counter."

Mrs McNichol jokes that she probably decided to call Juanita Halden at Baileux Real Estate after having a "hissy fit" about not getting time off.

"I probably wanted to do something but couldn't get anyone to cover for me, that's probably what started it," she said.

She admits it has been a hard decision to make, and ponders if it has been the right one during her morning walks.

Mrs McNichol isn't even sure where she'll go or what she'll do next.

"I don't know, I haven't given it much thought... probably not far, I've lived in Mirani all my life," she said.

Any successor of Postie Sue would ideally be someone connected to the community and be willing to go the extra mile for your neighbour, just like anyone in Mirani would.

Originally published as Business owner's tough decision to move on after 26 years