By Riley Wilson
This is Janette Hunt’s 20th year serving the community at the Batemans Bay post office. But this summer is the first time the postal manager has experienced anything “on this scale” of the uncertainty and devastation that tore through her town over the past five weeks.
“It’s just been a rollercoaster, really,” Ms Hunt said. “Everything has just been very ... different, is probably a good word to describe it.
“The post office has just sort of dug in and done what we need to do to help these people as much as possible.”
Batemans Bay was on “advice” level warning from November 27 and on “watch and act” from Christmas, and was then hit by fires on New Year’s Eve. The post office has become a makeshift service centre for the town, with locals using it as an information and communication post and as a source of power, supplies (including battery-operated radios) and – for some staff and contractors – showers.
“Anything we could help with, we were helping with basically,” Ms Hunt said.
With banks closed and ATMs not functioning, displaced residents stopped by to withdraw cash or use the internet. Many locals no longer have a mailbox or a home at which to welcome mail, and they have visited the post office to ask about their Christmas deliveries or to process the impact of the losses. Over 460 homes and 600 outbuildings in the Eurobodalla region, according to Batemans Bay RFS captain Ian Aitken.
“Down here, everybody knows everybody, if you know what I mean; it’s a bit like a family,” Ms Hunt said. “They’re just sort of grateful that they can come in here, have a bit of chat, express their feelings, get a cuddle and a bit of reassurance.”
“We were here with an ear to listen,” she said. “Some people just wanted someone to come and talk to.”
The eight-person post office closed for only four days, due to a loss of power. One day, when fires threatened the Bodalla post office, Ms Hunt was dispatched south to help the postmaster evacuate her stock and the mail. Nationally, between 25 and 30 post offices closed at some point and, of those, 18 were in NSW. No offices were lost in the fires.
Christine Holgate, managing director and chief executive officer of Australia Post, said: “The post office is a vital part of the local community, particularly in rural and regional Australia. We know that the impact of these events is both immediate and long-lasting and we are committed to working to support our communities in their recovery.”
Australia Post, founded in 1809, has delivered mail and relief in times of crisis before. Those affected by this summer’s fires can have their mail redirected or held at other post offices.
“We are offering free mail redirection and mail hold for anyone who has been impacted by the bushfire crisis. Affected Australian passport holders can have their damaged or destroyed passport replaced at accredited post offices,” Ms Holgate said.
Australia Post reports no national delays on postal delivery and only limited impact in fire-affected communities. Posties are delivering where it is safe to do so, but not where road closures and emergency services impede the process. As of Sunday, in NSW, only the Cabramurra post office remained closed.
For all the others, it’s business as usual. Amid the bushfires and repeated evacuations, not a single piece of mail was lost or destroyed.