Why mail matters more than ever
It’s not every day that someone tells the postie they’re looking forward to their energy bill.
‘‘It’s something that gets them out to their letterbox,’’ says NZ Post employee Anthony Mollo.
Despite the coronavirus lockdown, Mollo is still doing his regular six-day-a-week mail delivery.
Stuff is celebrating the coronavirus champions – including essential services workers and community volunteers – who are keeping New Zealand going through the lockdown.
Much of the job remains the same for Mollo – leaving home at 6.45am to get to the depot, sorting and bagging mail for the 25-kilometre round trip.
On a typical run, posties can stop by anywhere between 800 and 1200 delivery points, which can take between 2 and a half and 5 hours.
Mollo said while the route hasn’t changed, the environment is very different. ‘‘These days I can quite comfortably cross a road without having to wait for cars, but footpaths have become a bit of a minefield.
‘‘We’ve got more walkers and quite a few more runners, there’s a lot more cyclists – it’s amazing how many people have found a bike.’’
He said despite the circumstances, he could see people were practising social distancing while out and about. ‘‘I’ve found that people have been very respectful . . . Every day I will hear someone say ‘well done’ or ‘you’re doing a good job’, whereas before then I very rarely got that in my 16 years as a postie, except for perhaps Christmas time – it’s been amazing.’’
Mollo said he had also become aware how much regular services
like getting the mail meant to people at this time. ‘‘In a time when mail volume is seen to be declining, in a time like this were deemed essential, people are still wanting to receive mail – it’s kind of ironic.’’
While work has carried on more or less as normal, the lockdown has made life at home somewhat more complicated.
Mollo’s wife Amie is also an essential worker, which has made working and raising their three-yearold son Luigi a juggling act.
Before the lockdown, Luigi’s grandmothers had been able to come to look after him in the morning before he went off to kindergarten but not now.
‘‘Initially when the decision came out for lockdown we had plan A through F, we didn’t know we’d both be essential workers so we basically had to figure out what we were going to do.
‘‘We had relied on both grandmas, but we can’t do that in this situation.’’
Mollo said Amie had managed to sort out flexible hours, so when he finished his shift she could begin hers.
While many people under lockdown have time to spare, Mollo said their arrangement had the opposite effect. ‘‘We have less time to do things because we’re focusing on our son. If both of us were at home one of us could do errands, I could go for run, go out into the garden. But you can’t do that when you have a three-year-old to look after.’’
Mollo said it did take some time to adjust to the new normal, but believes he is in a fortunate position to keep doing what he’s doing.
‘‘To be honest in the first week I was disheartened about carrying on while seeing people at home, having government assistance. But I’ve come to realise we’re lucky, we’ve still got jobs, and there’ll be people at the end of this who won’t have a job.
‘‘And I’m lucky in that I actually love my job and being able to get out there and spend three hours a day on my bike – it’s a privilege.’’