'Exceptional' postman praised for going 'above and beyond' for people

A local postman has been lauded for going “above and beyond” for the people on his route.

The Westmeath Examiner recently received an email from a member of the public from The Downs, whose post is delivered by Damien Duncan. The person, who requested that her name not be published in the paper, said that she was writing to us “to laud the exceptional service of my local postman in The Downs area”.

“He is a pleasant, helpful postman who goes above and beyond for the customers. When he could not deliver a parcel, he’d send a text to alert me and let me know if he’d left it in a safe place, or alternatively bring it the following day. He provides this service for everyone in the area.

“I’m aware that he does shopping or other messages and will call on people who may see nobody but their postman. He is exceptional.”

The person also told how Damien delivered a letter to a family member of hers which only had their name and ‘Mullingar’ on the front of the envelope.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Damien, who has been a member of the postal service for 35 years, said that he enjoys being able to help people along his route, particularly in the past 12 months.

“There are people out there who live on their own and don’t see anybody from one end of the day to the other,” he said.

“When their postman calls once or twice a week, it is a bit of lifeline to them.

“The might ask if there is any chance of getting something for them or doing a bit of a turn for them, paying a bill in the town for them, you’d do it no problem.

“You’d get fond a lot of people. There are people who are there sitting on their own and, as the fella says, it doesn’t matter whether you are wealthy or not, when you are on your own, you are on your own.”

There have many changes to the life of a postman since he first stated in the 1980s. For one thing the number of letters he delivers has steadily declined, while the rise in popularity of online shopping, especially during the pandemic, has led to a huge increase in the number of parcels in his van each morning.

Whatever changes may come and go, some things remain the same, thankfully.

“You are out meeting people, it’s nice. No matter who you talk to, they have a different view on life.

“You wouldn’t have a whole lot of time to be talking to people any more, you’re that busy, but it’s amazing what you’d get done in a couple of minutes,” he said.

As for delivering a letter to The Downs that only had Mullingar on the front of it, Damien says that the local knowledge accrued over 35 years comes in handy at times.

“There is awful lot of stuff that wouldn’t be delivered if it wasn’t for local knowledge,” he says.