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TAIL OF
THE DOG
SAPO – South African Post Office

he South African postal delivery base, and printing beautifully Office was closed, so the box delivery
service started in 1500 when a designed stamps for actual letters. A was moved to Hyde Park.
TPortuguese ship’s captain left a postal box service also existed along
letter under a milkwood tree in Mossel with street deliveries. Street deliveries I optimistically went to Hyde Park, and
Bay, reporting the loss of three ships were part of life – brave posties having was shown through a grotty door into
in a storm off the Atlantic Coast. This to run the gauntlet of suburban dogs the sorting room – a dungeon inside
letter was delivered to Portugal three terrorising them daily. During a major all the boxes, where two valiant ladies
months later. I received a letter from postal delivery strike in 2013, property sort the mail and put the letters into
Canada on the 17th July 2023 that owners were able to go to their local the relevant pigeonholes. They were
had been airmailed on the 21 April post office to find their letters, with surrounded by crates of letters. A
2023. What is new? the help of the faithful posties. I crate for my number sequence was
remember going into a cavernous located, and two precious letters
From 1792, there was a post room room behind the Parkview Post Office found (one of which was the delivery
at the Castle in Cape Town, in 1815 and being directed by the delivery man from Canada). I was then allocated
a Mail Boat postal service between (recognising me from my dogs?) to a a new box, the old lock was fitted,
England and Cape Town was crate of letters, where I found my mail. opened by the same key, and with
established. In 1905 the Cullinan nearly the same PO Box number. I
diamond was sent to London as a With the increasing use of emails was instructed not to change my old
normal postal article. In 1911 the first and the internet, deliveries to homes number; the amazing ladies would
airmail letter was delivered after a almost ceased. By the same token, know which box to put my mail into.
seven-and-a-half-minute flight from postal box facilities also ground to a Astonished, and, knowing that the
Kenilworth to Muizenberg. virtual halt. My own longstanding PO Post Office was put into Provisional
Box suffered a double blow – firstly Liquidation in April 2023, I am holding
The Post Office has been a national that Post Office was closed, and the onto this tiny ray of hope that it might
institution for decades, as an early box deliveries moved to the Rosebank survive and grow again into the
savings bank, holding savings accounts Mall. Tricky, as you had to pay for excellent institution it once was.
for all, from pensioners to small boys parking just to get your mail, unless
bringing a tickey a week to save for a you could do a quick 15-minute dash.
new bicycle, providing a postal service Then disaster – the Rosebank Post Gill Butler

www.seatsahead.co.za

Tel: 011 434 0444, Email:Shantelle@chairexpress.co.za
44 Hulbert Rd Cnr Rosettenville Rd, New Centre, Johannesburg
PO Box 39799, Booysens, 2016