Murray Bridge’s post boxes are gradually disappearing
Local letter-writer Betty Amber is finding harder to drop off her mail these days. Australia Post has an explanation.
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There’s still something special about hand-writing a message, sliding it into an envelope, affixing a stamp and dropping it into your nearest red post box.
Murray Bridge resident Betty Amber, for one, is still a regular letter-writer and a talented card-maker, too.
But lately she has had a problem: the two post boxes closest to her home have both been removed.
“I was gobsmacked when the Standen Street one went, because I used to walk up there,” she said.
“Then, a week or two later, I go down to the (Murray Bridge) Green, letters in hand and thought ‘what’s going on?’”
The post box outside the takeaway shop there had gone, too.
Mrs Amber fell back into letter-writing during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it was a handy way of keeping in touch with an uncle in a nursing home.
She regularly writes to family members, and sends birthday and Christmas cards – a reminder that not everyone relies solely on email.
“I understand there is less postage, but what about customer service?” she asked.
“Not everyone is able to go to the post offices to post a letter.”
In response to an inquiry from Murray Bridge News, Australia Post said it regularly reviewed its post box network to ensure it was operating as efficiently as possible.
“As we continue to see mail decline, we remove some street posting boxes that are not frequently used, subject to vandalism, or in areas where we have significant overlap,” a spokesman said.
He noted that Australia Post still maintained 14,000 red post boxes around the country, 4000 more than the law required it to do.
There were still 10 post boxes in Murray Bridge at the time of writing, according to the postal service:
- 69 Adelaide Road, on the corner of Keith Street
- 151 Adelaide Road, outside Daish Irrigation
- 44 Bridge Street, on the corner of Seventh Street
- 80 Eleanor Terrace, on the corner of Thomas Street
- 1 Finch Road, near the corner of Swanport Road
- 50 Homburg Drive, on the corner of Darling Avenue
- 98 Mannum Road, near the Daily Deli
- 1 Monash Terrace, outside the hospital
- 61 Old Princes Highway, at OTR Eastside
- 113 Swanport Road, outside Southside Newsagency
There were four at Tailem Bend, three at Mannum and one each at Callington, Kanmantoo, Mypolonga and Monarto South.
- More information: auspost.com.au.
