Postie calls it a day after 50 years

Ian went out on his town centre and seafront round for the last time last Thursday. He went into the Royal Mail depot in Clarence Road for his retirement presentation the next morning.

His colleagues gave him 250 of holiday vouchers to enable him to enjoy his free time in style. He also received a certificate and a selection of gifts from Royal Mail.

Ian (65) said: 'I've enjoyed being a postman but I've had enough. Fifty years is a long time.'

Fellow postman Doug Sivyer,who performed the presentations, has known Ian for 21 years. He stated: 'Ian is very well-liked and very popular. He has a nice dry sense of humour.

Robin Morgan, the depot's manager, added: 'To spend 50 years in the same job is phenomenal. It used to be par for the course but not now. Ian will be one of the last in this office to achieve that.

'Ian asked to stay on after he was 65 at the end of March so he could complete his 50 years. He would otherwise have been a month short and that seemed unfair.'

Born in Sudley Road, Ian's lifetime with Royal Mail started as soon as he left Colebrook School in Bognor. His dad was a taxi driver and used to take the town's assistant postmaster, Mr Tribe, to a club once or twice a week.

They were chatting in the cab one day and Mr Tribe mentioned a vacancy for a telegram boy. Ian signed up and was soon busy delivering the messages.

Cycling out to Pagham three times a day was usual at a time when few individuals owned a telephone. Saturdays were also busy with a constant stream of wedding congratulations.

Three years later and Ian became a postman. His first round was in the Links Avenue area of Felpham.

His final deliveries have consisted of two trolley loads of mail a day around the Belmont Street area from Campbell Road to the pier.

'The job has really stayed the same,' he stated. 'I talk to my customers. There are a lot of elderly people I deliver to and they are smashing. You can't beat them and I get on well with them.

'Everybody wants our job when the weather's nice but nobody wants it when it's raining, cold or blowing.'

But Ian was not expecting any lie-ins this week at his Queensway home. 'I'll still be waking at 4am. I always do,' he explained.

He has no firm plans for his retirement apart from enjoying some holidays.