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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2017-06-07, Page 11Wednesday, June 7, 2017 • Huron Expositor 11 Dublin area mail carrier shows no signs of slowing down ilk MacRae Ar recently passed 40 years on the job Andy Bader Postmedia Network The familiar postal oath - neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail shall keep the postmen from their appointed rounds - certainly holds true for Patricia (Pat) MacRae. She's been delivering it for 40 years around Dublin and, she said in a recent inter- view, really has no plans of stopping anytime soon. "It's hard for me to believe it's been 40 years," she said from the back of the Dublin post office. "Forty years walking through that door... if someone had told me I'd be walking through that door 40 years later I'd have told them they were crazy:' MacRae, born in Seaforth but has lived in and around the village most of her mar- ried life with her husband Mike and four children, said her neighbour George Cov- ille was retiring from his RR 2 Dublin route so she asked him how to apply for his job. Coville made a recommen- dation and the next thing you knew she was hired, working, ironically enough, with her father-in-law Don MacRae, who was postmas- ter at the time. Her first official day was May 2, 1977, and when the 40t anniversary passed ear- lier last month, it was just another milestone to reach. She worked the RR 2 route first but in 1990 added the RR 1 Dublin portion, serving approximately 215 custom- ers today. Driving 100 -kilo- metres per day delivering the mail, MacRae starts at the post office where she sorts and gets everything ready to go out the door. All told, she's allotted five hours and 15 minutes to complete the route start to finish, but it fluctuates depending on weather and volume. In years past, once done the mail route, she also worked for 18 years an after- noon shift in Stratford so when help was needed she relied on husband Mike and her four children, Kurt, Marcy, Denise and Joe to pitch in where they could either in the post office or at home. "I've delivered mail when I was pregnant, with the mumps and with a sliced up hand," she said. "In 40 years, I can honestly say I haven't had 40 days off." The mail needed to be delivered and if MacRae wanted time off with the family, she needed to find her own replacement which is sometimes difficult. "We never really took vacations," she said. "It's only the last five years with the kids persistence that I have. Plus now we have the place permanently at the lake (Bayfield)." Bayfield residents since 2011, MacRae and her hus- band move "in -land" in the winter to cut her driving time, spending time house- sitting, most recently in Egmondville. She fancies herself a good, defensive driver and although she's had a few close calls she's never had an accident while in the line of duty (touching wood while saying it). "I can't say I've been in the ditch too many times, either, but I've been stuck quite a few times," she said, giving a tip that prior to the days of front wheel drive, she learned the hard way to reverse in the same tracks to avoid unnecessary digging. "I've had mailboxes that had to be taken off for me to get out, though," she adds, SILENT AUCTION RAFFLE Sunday, June 11th, 2017 at 225 Main Street North, Seaforth for Bow Wow Rescue, Registration at 3pm until 6 pm Enjoy Hot Dogs and Drinks for more information contact Dene © 519-527-1500 or 3 Main St. S. Seaforth noting that she slid into the mailbox with her car win- dow open and got trapped. Donna Paratchek, the for- mer Dublin postmaster who worked alongside MacRae for 20 years, called her "very dependable" "She's very dedicated, that's for sure. She's taken off to deliver when she really shouldn't have because of bad weather," Paratchek said. "She always wanted her customers looked after." MacRae has found a wide variety of things in rural mailboxes over the years including a baby deer, after- birth from some animal and very large fish. "It's kind of scary some- times when I open a mail- box. In the case of the baby deer, I saw the little hooves sticking out but I didn't open it and called the farmer and suggested he may want to go out and get rid of it," she said, calling these incidents random pranks. As for the fish - a glisten- ing white grey thing with the back side staring at her - MacRae decided there was still enough room to drop off that day's mail so she care- fully reached in, folded the paper back the fish was wrapped in, and left it. MacRae figures she's gone through 8-10 vehicles over the four decades, wearing out brakes at least twice a year. Speaking of wear and tear, she said "I have bruises in places I shouldn't have bruises" mainly because of her ability to lean out of the passenger window and drop off the mail. "I've always gone by myself so I learned to always straddle the center, bounce over and reach over to the mailbox that way." The biggest change Mac- Rae has noticed is the influx in online shopping which means delivering parcels of all shapes and size, espe- cially prior to Christmas and Black Friday, sometimes as many as 40-50 at a time. "If I came in the back door and I couldn't see the post- master for parcels I'd go back out the door and let out a lit- tle scream," she said with a smile. The number of fliers and subscriptions to newspapers and magazines is also in decline, she adds, but gener- ally the number of custom- ers has stayed fairly constant. "There's been a lot of changes, but basically it's sorting the pigeon holes, pack up and go," she said. "This time of year I love, you see the fields being worked up, crops going in and starting to grow. Once calcium goes on the roads it's a little better, it's a bad hair day when the dust is fly- ing and the windows are open..." Her kids, husband and OPEN HOUSE CEL EBRATION FOR MARIE HICKNELL -FEENEY SUNDAY, JUNE 11,2017 2-4 P.M. OPEN HOUSE Seaforth Ag Society Hall 140 Duke St Seaforth Food Bank Donations appreciated Andy Bader Pat MacRae has been delivering mail outside Dublin for more than 40 years and she shows no signs of slowing down. mother have asked her when she plans to retire, but now that she's hit the 40 -year mark, as long as the Mac - Rae's own property in Dub- lin she'll continue to hang out open car windows and deal with dead fish and bad drivers. "I have thought about it, but the older I get the body starts to talk to you," she said. "I do enjoy it. It's just second nature. I can't imag- ine not doing it but I know the day will come that I won't be doing it." MacRae, who turns 67 this fall, has lots of hobbies and projects to keep her busy once that day comes, includ- ing carpentry. "It's not like I won't have stuff to do," she said. ATTENTION READERS Take advantage of our pricing for Includes: Birthdays, Anniversaries Weddings, Engagements, Graduations etc. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Actual Size: Pre -Payment is Required Just bring in your photo & write-up and well do the rest. Other Sizes & Prices available upon request. 53 Albert Street Clinton, ON 519-482-3443 ext. 527306 Ndegans@postmedia.com