ONE OF THE HILLS FINEST ...
Frank is proud to serve the local community as a councillor in the Hills Shire . by Lorna Gordon
Hills Shire Councillor Frank De Masi has lived in the shire since 1998 when he moved there with his wife and two children . The day they got the keys to their new home , they found out that Frank ’ s wife was expecting baby number three and the family have never looked back .
Frank grew up in the St George area and enjoyed living there , however the big smoke beckoned and he moved to Sydney to live and went to work for the Post Office in 1980 . He enjoyed the work and rose through the ranks until he got to the point that he felt he needed a change in direction .
When he told his boss that he wanted to leave the response he got was , we are going to make you an offer you can ’ t refuse , to manage the post for the Olympic Games . Of course , Frank jumped at the chance to be part of such an exciting part of the momentous occasion , and said yes !
“ I managed the whole of Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games for Australia Post . We opened a special post office at the village , and a postal annex in the city . I got to meet every athlete and all the officials and had the opportunity to have gold medals around my neck ! I thoroughly enjoyed it .” Frank recalled .
After the games Frank decided to move on - but what could top that as a career high after all ? Sixteen years ago , he was fortunate to win a bid to get the Australia Post franchise in Stanhope Gardens , which he still runs to this day , along with a second branch at Kellyville and twenty staff members .
“ I love being part of the community , I get to know our regular customers and help them in many different ways , from assisting with passports
and parcels to simply being a friendly face they can chat to ,” Frank said .
“ A new service we provide is to work closely with small business people . We can help them save money by providing discounts for the parcel services and look at helping business grow their business .”
One of the more heart-warming things Frank is involved with in the post office is the collection of packages to send overseas to our troops who are serving . This is done twice a year , for ANZAC Day and at Christmas .
You can send a two kilo package free of charge containing non-perishable items such as lollies , instant noodles , biscuits and magazines or puzzle books , along with a letter to cheer up our soldiers who can ’ t be with their loved ones . The cut off date for taking these to the post office can change each year , so it ’ s best to check online for details .
“ The service men and women appreciate the gifts because someone has taken time and effort to send them . You can pop a letter or Christmas card in to say who you are and a stamped , selfaddressed envelope in case they want to reply . A lot of the times they have written back to me and when you receive those letters you know how grateful they are .”
Being involved with his community means that Frank gets invited to a lot of local community events and at one of these , a member of parliament suggested to Frank to take the next step and become a councillor . He wasn ’ t preselected for council on his first attempt , but he didn ’ t give up and was elected on his second . “ On council , I ’ m there to serve and add value for the people I represent , if I can ’ t do that there is no point in me being there . Our council is comprised of our mayor and 12 councillors
•
Decorative Gravels
• Nepean River
• Griffith Red
• Cowra , White & Gold
• Charcoal
• Firewood
• Aussie Brown
• Scoria Red & White
• Blue Metal
• Road Base
• Sand 14 Types
• Recycled Road Base
• Recycled Aggregates
• Bush Rock
• Sandstone Flagging
• Cements
• Softfall ( Play Ground )
• Pine Bark
• Coloured Wood Chip
• Eucalyptus Mulch
• Hardwood Chip
• Softwood Chip
• Leaf Mulch
Cnr Windsor & Rouse Roads ROUSE HILL Phone : 9629 2299
TURTLE
NURSERY
AND LANDSCAPE SUPPLIES
FIREWOOD
IRONBARK * MIXED FIREWOOD
All materials available in small bags Specialising in 1 tonne Bulka-Bags
DELIVERIES 7 DAYS OPEN 7 DAYS PLEASE CONSIDER HOME DELIVERY
• Cypress Wood Chip
• Top Soil
• Organic Garden Mix
• Premium Garden Mix
• 80 / 20 Top Dressing
Cnr Racecourse & Blacktown Roads SOUTH WINDSOR Phone : 4574 3299
www . turtlenursery . com . au
• Organic Top Dressing
• Filling Sand
• Turf Underlay
• Mushroom Compost
• Treated Pine Sleepers
6 ISSUE 84 // JUNE 2022 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HILLS INDEPENDENT