Ballintemple Post Office has been in same Cork family for more than 60 years

BALLINTEMPLE Post Office is Colette Collins’s pride and joy.

“It is your baby, and you provide the best services that you can,” says Colette, who has two teenage daughters, Rachel and Stephanie.

“I am hugely attached to the post office and to the people who come in here.”

Colette has been postmistress since 1999.

“My mother, Imelda Collins, took over from my aunt, Margaret Collins, who was here since 1956,” says Colette.

“I am the third generation of women to take over the post office. It has been in the family for 63 years.”

Colette had her formative years in the busy hub.

“I grew up behind the counter,” she says. “And I was lucky to get to know all the customers here. I covered for holidays and when my mother had a day off, so I was lucky to be so familiar with the post office before I took it over.

Ballintemple was always a tight community and growing up here I knew all the customers and they knew me.

The post office is part of the circle of life for Colette.

“Through the generations, I met the grandparents, the parents, their kids, and the kids having kids!

“The post office is the hub of the community, offering numerous services, for example, social welfare, pensions, unemployment benefits, TV and dog licences. With a lot of banks closing, the post office has taken on a banking role,” says Colette.

“We have a lot of new customers that we never saw before, and banking has brought a whole new type of business.”

The one-to-one aspect is important.

“It is very important to be able to give people advice,” says Colette. “Especially pensioners, who might need help with transactions that they might find complicated.

“Some pensioners may never have used a bank and they sometimes want to pay a bit off their bills every week. It is important for them to handle their own cash.”

Colette always has time to offer advice and to chat.

“We love to talk, and we love the banter,” adds Colette, who has three staff - Dee Murphy, Jill Daly, and Colette McCarthy.

Often, for our elderly customers, a visit to the post office could be their only outing in the week. We might be the only people they see during the week.

Colette is familiar with many requests.

“I know that Mrs Murphy, who is paying her gas bill, will want four fivers for her grandchildren!”

Colette tries to cheer people up too.

“All my customers need care but if someone is feeling down or feeling vulnerable, they need taking care of.

“I was at a union meeting not so long ago and we spoke about our customers who all have needs; from the poorest to the wealthiest,” says Colette.

“It scares me to think if the post office went, what some people would do, who rely on it and who rely on the human interaction. I think they would fall through the cracks.

“The loss of the rural post office would be unbearable. People don’t realise that until it is gone unfortunately.”

Some of Colette’s customers are in their nineties.

“They are great characters and well able, believe me! One lady and one man come to mind. They are both so independent and sprightly. It is great to see. Those characters really enjoy the banter.

Friday is the busiest day of the week by far, says Colette. “This is a small community, and everyone chats to one another. They all know one another in a small area, which is nice.”

Colette’s customers are spoilt.

“Dee and I work every Friday,” says Colette. “If one of us is missing, everyone wants to know why! Some are rogues and we enjoy them!”

Many customers are generous in return.

“Our customers are really kind-hearted,” says Colette. “When we help them out, they are very thankful and they often drop in a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine to us.”

The kind-hearted customers rallied after the post office was the scene of an armed robbery in 2022.

“There was a huge outpouring of sympathy from our customers,” says Colette.”

The chocolates and wine gifts were momentarily replaced.

“People dropped in holy water and medals. We got guardian angel medals. It was really humbling.

It is so nice to know that we are important to them like they are important to us. You can’t put a price on that. You can only appreciate it and value it.

Colette and her staff stick to the rules.

“We go by strict guidelines,” she says of the security in the premises.

“There are certain rules we adhere to. We have two safes which are time-locked. We have to be diligent.”

Colette values her family’s legacy.

“When I got the post office, it was a different room with an old till and old weighing scales,” she recalls.

“We found lots of old pension books and dockets.

“When dad died 42 years ago, mum moved to a different part of the shop. I remember her sitting behind the counter on a stool. Back then, I remember having free ice-cream and sweets!”

Now Colette has the crème de la crème of a job.

“I love it,” she says. “I got to know so many people. Some have died and some have moved away, and I really miss them.

“When that happens, the family often come in and thank us for the service we provided to them over the years. They say, ‘Thanks for being so kind’.”

Colette is very kind in return.

“One day, an older lady pulled into Ballintemple and took the wing of my car away!” she says.

“She came in and asked who owned the red car. ‘I said, ‘me’. I told her not to worry that it was only a piece of metal. There was no hassle and we got it sorted.

“The lady went away happy, but she had a big red stripe on the side of her car!”

Colette is not only the postmistress. She wears more than one hat.

“The role of postmistress can be that of a doctor or a confidante,” she says.

The post office has many roles in the community.

“It is a family business and there is huge loyalty,” says Colette.

Will the next generation take over?

“Rachel and Stephanie often help out when they are on holidays. They are still in their teens.”

For now, Ballintemple Post office is Colette’s baby - and she’s minding it well.

* Next week: Castletownroche