LOCAL LIFE

by Greg Martin

Before heading off to Pitt Town Post Office to interview Kevin and Marilyn Delarue who were spending their final week as the proprietors , I let my fingers do the walking and went online to suss out what I could about the husband and wife team . What I noticed was truly amazing ! Marilyn and Kevin don ’ t have a Wikipedia page giving their life histories , but what I did discover through Pitt Town PO reviews was that the service provided by the couple and their staff was impeccable and second to none .

These reviews went back over many years and each and every one of them had nothing but high praise for the services rendered at the PO .

Here ’ s a small sample of the more than 700 reviews I discovered online – most of them on the Pitt Town Residents Group website .

“ Kevin and his staff are always polite and knowledgeable about all things postal . They go the extra mile .”

“ The Pitt Town PO people are the salt of the earth . Good , honest , hard-working Aussies – and they know their stuff .”

“ Every visit is so personable , even with the increased stress of parcel deliveries . Thank you for always making your customers feel welcome and open to help wherever possible .”

“ If you don ’ t live in the area , get something posted there just for the experience . Kev and the whole team are exceptional ”.

That should give you a pretty good idea of how the Delarues are viewed by their customers and the people in their community .

Marilyn and Kevin have operated the PO for nigh on 15 years and during that time many , many of their customers have become friends .

“ I well remember in our early years here having kids accompanying their parents into the post office and now we have been serving them with their children in tow ,” Marilyn said . The Delarues are passionate locals – Marilyn is a fourth generation Pitt Townite while Kevin grew up in Riverstone .

They have thoroughly enjoyed their sojourn in the PO but both are adamant that “ time ” had to be called .

“ For nearly 15 years we have operated the post office from 7am until 5.30pm and haven ’ t had a holiday for over four years ,” Kevin said .

Kevin and Marilyn will retire to their new home in Pitt town and intend to experience the wanderlust which has been forced to lay dormant for many years .

“ We have a caravan and intend to spend plenty of time on the road exploring this wonderful country of ours ,” Kevin said .

“ We are obviously deeply saddened to end our relationship with the post office but obviously by living in Pitt Town , friendships forged during our tenure here will continue .”

The Delarues spent the last fortnight of their ownership of the post office teaching the ropes and introducing customers to new owner , Carol Zhang , who says she is “ looking forward to continuing the great service provided to the community by Kevin and Marilyn ”.

The stamp of approval ! Kevin and Marilyn Delarue ’ s service with a smile has endeared them to several generations of Pitt Town Post Office customers . Photo : Kathryn Johnston .

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Opening Hours : Monday 9am – 5pm | Tuesday 9am – 6pm | Wednesday 9am – 5pm | Thursday 9am – 7pm | Friday 9am – 6pm | Saturday 9am – 3pm | Sunday : CLOSED

THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 155 // APRIL 2023 11