Postmistress refuses to leave

Press, 12 September 1988, Page 3

Postmistress refuses to leave

PA Wellington Lorna Langford is everything a traditional postmistress should be. For 41 years she has run a general store with post office attached at remote Bainham, inland from Collingwood in north-west Nelson. Seven, months ago the post office there was officially closed. But Miss Langford, aged 59, is stubbornly continuing to provide most of the services. “I believe that people matter most,” she says. When the office closed, New Zealand Post took her date stamps but she refused to hand over her postage stamps. Eventually, she was allowed to keep $225 worth of stamps. Miss Langford ordered another $4OO worth, which she received from Nelson in a few days. As a postal agency she continues to handle two mails a day out of Bainham. On behalf of elderly people and others reluctant to drive to Takaka, she also

fought successfully to retain a banking service — one she is not paid for. Customers can bring in money or cheques, which she sends to Takaka Post Office, or they can fill in withdrawal forms and receive their money, often within 24 hours. ■ For people who find it hard to shift money from savings to cheque accounts by telephone, Miss Langford does that too. She has had surgery for arthritis of the spine and as she has difficulty with some tasks, she now employs a full-time assistant. Another increasing expense is the telephone bill. From early this year Telecom stopped her discount. However, her biggest loss was her post office income, she said. Until February she was paid for :each transaction, earning $6OO to $BOO a month for a full banking and postal service. Now, by handling mail she earns a monthly $lOO and by selling stamps $25.