LOCAL LIFE
MAKE A DIFFERENCE : Stanhope Gardens Post Office
by Lorna Gordon
Frank De Massi is well known in the Hills having served as a Councillor for the past seven years and has now taken on the mantle of Deputy Mayor to Dr Michelle Byrne ’ s Mayor position .
However , Frank has a life away from serving on council , but one that still provides a vital service for the community . He is a franchisee for Australia Post and has two Post Offices . He began working for Australia Post in 1980 and worked his way up through the ranks .
When the Olympics came to Sydney in 2000 , Frank was heavily involved in setting up a GPO in the Olympic Village and at the hotel where the IOC stayed so that they had access to this vital service . After this he felt he had achieved everything he could with his employer and left to work elsewhere for a few years until the chance of the franchise at Stanhope Gardens came up , Frank applied and won the franchise from over 300 other applicants .
It ’ s safe to say that he is back in his happy place , and it shows . he Post Office at Stanhope Gardens was nominated for the Australian Retail award and won the category outright to be named Australian Retailers Association National Franchisee of the Year . Frank credits his hard working staff for the award , knowing a workplace is only as good as the people who work there .
“ Our staff get the full credit , it ’ s their award , I ’ ve led the way , but we are a great team and the success of this is because of them , they ’ ve done a fantastic job , they love the customers , and the customers love them back ,” Frank said .
“ We are a community hub and people see us as a place where the community can get together , they know we are never rude to anyone , service with a smile .”
This not so secret sauce sees customers coming back to use their services regularly , from people needing to send items in Australia and overseas , renewing their passports or paying bills , they know they will be met with courtesy and good service .
Sometimes they are in for an extra treat when staff dress up for charity days like Jersey Day or cultural events like Diwali , Halloween , Melbourne Cup or decorate the Post Office for Christmas .
“ It ’ s what we do here , we ’ ve got a great team , we provide the best service we can for all our customers , we go above and beyond . They get our full attention , and they walk away satisfied . We ’ ve had young couples come in to get passport done , then get married and have to change their name then come again because they have kids , then get renewals , they come back time and time again .”
So , if you need service with a smile to help you make your day to day life easier , head to the post office at Stanhope Gardens where help is always available .
THE HILLS INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 113 // NOVEMBER 2024 11