Garlyn Dixon ordinary postie – not
Garlyn Dixon: Delivers the rural mail to 760 letterboxes on the RD1 run in Takaka. Photo: Neil Wilson.
Garlyn Dixon comes to her new role as rural postie from a working background that virtually redefines the word “diverse”.
The former barrister and solicitor, police officer, probation officer, change manager, marriage guidance counsellor, mediator, and corporate high flier says that, while she has also milked cows in her time, she mostly enjoyed the jobs that involved “making a difference and helping people to come to terms with where they’re at.”
Now, in a complete lifestyle change, she delivers the mail on the large RD1 run around Takaka and she has been putting in some very big days.
“The first Thursday I did, I finished at 9.45pm. It was horrendous, but I’m getting quicker all the time,” she says. “I come from a background of working long hours in very stressful situations, so this is not too much of a challenge.”
Garlyn says that she is committed to providing the very best possible service to her customers but she is asking for a little patience while she gets up to speed.
“NZ Post says that their expectation is that it takes up to six months to become proficient at a run. Even Colin and Kim were quite slow when they started but Kim, especially, was just a machine—I don’t know if I’ll ever get to be as quick as her.
“At the moment I’m concerned that the people in Kotinga especially are getting their mail later than they’ve been used to…I encourage people to contact me if they’ve got anything I need to be hearing. I know it’s the time that The GB Weekly gets delivered on a Friday that’s the key issue for a lot of people. I’m getting there, I promise.”
Garlyn says that learning the RD run was a big challenge, involving a 33-page notebook containing the details of 760 letterboxes. “I’ve got the nuts and bolts sorted out. Now it’s a matter of familiarity and co-ordinating the presentation of the advertising material to the boxes.”
She says she is enjoying the job and that she has had plenty of positive feedback. “Everybody’s been very supportive. I don’t want to be a stranger to my customers. Part of me enjoying my day involves having a minute to talk to people if I have to. Kim and Colin have done everything they can to help me make the transition. I can’t fault the amount of effort and energy they’ve put into helping me learn the run and everything.”
Garlyn says that she is enjoying living in Golden Bay again after living here “off and on for many years”. She has whanau here and she “loves the lifestyle”. In her spare time she loves to garden and produce textile art, but, she says, “the mail and the advertising is starting to ramp up for Christmas so I’m not getting much spare time just now.”
Neil Wilson
