Newdegate Machinery Field Days: Newdegate postmaster Kelly a stamp of success for community

Newdegate postal manager Kelly Richardson has found her niche providing a stamped, multifaceted service to the town throughout the calendar year. “In a lead up to Christmas, it’s still the busiest time of the year for us, delivering special packages with some finding their way under the Christmas tree,” she said. “I also love when the Newdegate Machinery Field Days roll around — I’m lucky enough to be able to close the post office at noon so I can fill some rosters and have a sneaky peek.” Before Ms Richardson and her husband Hayden “hummed and hawed” about buying the post office business in March 2021, they both were active at the field days. She was the event co-ordinator from 2017 to 2021 and Mr Richardson represented Nutrien Ag Solutions. “I loved it, particularly when the exhibitors “bumped in and out smoothly — it was full on,” Ms Richardson said. “But, with five years behind me, I was looking for another challenge and the town’s post office was on the market.” “It was the perfect opportunity to save my sanity with our two children, Rhys, who is now 12, and his sister Hayley, 14, off to boarding school — what was I going to do?” She said adding the post office to her life had been a very rewarding experience. “It runs efficiently with two mail runs and casual staff allowing us to visit our children regularly in Perth,” Ms Richardson said. “Before we moved to Newdegate eight years ago — I was a stay-at-home mum in Katanning, my husband’s hometown.” Mr Richardson accepted Newdegate’s Nutrien Ag Solutions branch manager position in 2017. “Buying the post office was a good decision, I now enjoy having my own small business, and between us all, we make it all work,” Ms Richardson said. “You meet all the community, including the ones on the mail run, as far as out to Varley. “I never had post office experience before, so seven weeks of training, and I was away.” Her favourite job has been ordering stock — and watching the joy of her customers. “We stock everything standard in a post office and offer most of the Aus Post services like Bank@post,” Ms Richardson said. “We also carry a great range of giftware suitable for all ages and don’t forget newspapers, magazines and cards.” She said her first year at Australia Post, was filled with some mighty challenges with the national railway line washed away “holding things up”. “Perth also opened a new parcel facility, which had a few teething problems to begin with, but all is better now, the mail is on time in Newdegate,” Ms Richardson said.