MURRURUNDI Post Office will cease trading next Thursday amid concerns of a “severe downgrade” for the local community.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The decision has been attributed to the retirement of its current operators, with Australia Post revealing an alternative outlet will become available immediately.
“To ensure residents have ongoing access to postal services in Murrurundi, a new Community Postal Agency (CPA) will open at Dooley’s Store at 60 Mayne Street on Friday, April 29,” the statement said.
“Importantly, street mail delivery in Murrurundi will continue as per usual and the CPA will continue to provide a wide range of postal products and services.
“These include stamps and packaging products, weighing and assessing of parcels, parcel collection, mail redirection and PO Boxes.”
However, resident Keith Cole believes the decision will heavily impact the elderly population throughout Murrurundi.
Mr Cole said he learned in March of the potential for a downgrade after being informed the post office building itself had been sold.
![CEASING TRADING: Murrurundi Post Office will stop operating on Thursday, April 28, with an alternative outlet to be provided in Mayne Street. CEASING TRADING: Murrurundi Post Office will stop operating on Thursday, April 28, with an alternative outlet to be provided in Mayne Street.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/4Q8wfvUYYerAhErgTbY7Y2/42e11551-7b52-413e-b53a-9d2ec8b17ad4.JPG/r0_64_1024_640_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
“I understand that the degraded services exclude bill paying, banking and passport office services,” he said.
After contacting Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon and Senator Fiona Nash, Mr Cole said he explained the majority of the town’s older population used those services on a frequent basis.
“I stated that the majority of residents are neither familiar with using internet nor telephone to pay bills or for other services and therefore require and are entitled to counter services,” he said.
“I added that a number of the residents do not own motor vehicles.
“Additionally, the post office services people living in Blandford, which is 10 kilometres away, to in excess of 50 kilometres away in the farming area of Timor.”
Mr Cole said there had subsequently been a lack of action, claiming the politicians’ “silence [was] deafening”.
“It goes to show that neither of the major parties have any interest in the welfare of the residents of regional Murrurundi and District,” he said.
Trading hours for the new CPA will be 7.30am-6pm from Monday to Friday.