I'd only seen him fleetingly before, as he dropped off a parcel at the front step and waved to our dog through the window as he ran back to his van, on to the next delivery. This week, I got to find out his name and have a chat, at the mailbox, at an appropriate distance, of course. And, if he wasn't already, the StarTrack delivery man is officially now one of my favourite people.
With people self-isolating and working from home in the face of coronavirus, we might actually be getting to know people who've been providing us with a service for a long time, but who we've never actually met.
People like Olufunsho 'Fish' Oluyide, who has been a delivery driver for StarTrack, part of Australia Post, since 2017.
The father-of-one, originally from Nigeria, is a cheery presence in the neighbourhood.
"I've made quite a number of friends on my rounds," he said.
"Especially at Easter or Christmas, people will leave me a note, 'Thank you for your service', 'Thank you for being good to us'. And those kinds of things are what keep be going in this job."
Things have changed for the posties and delivery drivers during the pandemic. All parcels, whether at at the post office or at a residence, no longer need need a signature for delivery or collection, to help stop the spread of the disease (the postie or delivery person records the customer's name and signs on their behalf).
Fish is constantly using hand sanitisers and wipes after making every delivery. He says most people remember to keep their distance when opening the door, a few still need reminding.
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Australia Post is also seeing changes in the time of coronavius.
"In the last two days, we have seen record sales on office, technology and stationary, on our online store and in retail, up almost 100 per cent on last year, as people gear-up to work from home," a spokesman said, this week.
"Our parcel lockers have had an additional 5700 people join in the past week."
Australia Post says it is "well-placed to deliver in this current environment", with a workforce of more than 80,000.
- For information on COVID-19, please go to the ACT Health website or federal Health Department's website.
- You can also call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080
- If you have serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, call Triple Zero (000)
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