Hounds Won't Hassle Harry Any Longer
Illawarra Mercury
Thursday January 30, 2003
HARRY Honeysett gradually got to know the dogs that chased him down the street.
It was the 1950s, and the plucky postman didn't yet have a little red motorbike to whisk him away from a canine onslaught.
It was him, his pushbike and a wad of mail against the enemy.
``You would be going down the street after school, and there would be school children riding their bikes, but the dog would soon sort you out. They know the difference between a school child and a postman," Mr Honeysett said.
In his 44 years as an Australia Post worker, he has sifted through the region's mail, witnessed the overhaul of the postal system, and has taken the odd battering from a magpie. ``They were a bit scary. I don't trust them," he said.
But last week, the 65-year-old retired from the only job he has ever known.
Looking back on his career as a postman, night sorter and supervisor, Mr Honeysett said he had enjoyed every part of the job, which kept him fit and allowed him to knock off early in the afternoon.
``I started in 1958 in my late teens. I was always playing cricket with Balgownie, and I noticed my brother, who worked for Post Master General (now Australia Post), was always getting home early every day," he said.
``The captain of the cricket team was the postman in charge at Wollongong, and I asked for a job."
He was issued a khaki postman's uniform, which he proudly wore while toting mail up and down Wollongong's Cliff Rd, Harbour St and Market St on his pushbike.
After shining in this position, he was upgraded and worked in suburbs from Engadine in the north to Kiama in the south.
There were perks, such as a few extra pounds in his pay packet, but there were times when he found himself in odd situations.
``There were only two postmen in Kiama in the old days, and one had a horse to do the Kiama south run," he said.
``He broke his hip and couldn't do it, so I got stuck with it.
``That horse wouldn't run, no matter how hard I kicked it. It knew exactly where to go and would stop at the letterboxes, even if they didn't have mail that day. I'm sure it would have put the mail in itself if it could."
He was also the first Illawarra postman to test out the new Honda 90 motorbike, which he said made the hills easier to manoeuvre.
He received the country south region's Best Delivery Supervisor Award in 1992.
The thing he will miss most is the human contact. ``I would get all sorts of Christmas presents (from customers) when I was riding my bike. If they didn't see you on the run they would bring them into the office, or you'd go out with a bag full of mail and come back with a bag full of presents."
A retirement dinner will be held for Mr Honeysett on Saturday at Warilla Sports Club.
© 2003 Illawarra Mercury