Windmill Hill Post Office in Halesowen and Sam the Postmaster had a big turn out to say goodbye. A few were left as i called in to say hello and meet the man the community call there own.
Category
đź—ž
NewsTranscript
00:00So there's not normally a pick-a-mix buffet set up in the shop is there?
00:03So we're here in, do you class yourself as Arzoino or Colliegate, what are we calling it?
00:08It's called Colliegate.
00:09Colliegate yeah.
00:10So, Windmill Post Office, Sam this was your home.
00:15It was, it was my second home and I've enjoyed working here all these years.
00:20How many years, go on.
00:2132 years.
00:2232 years.
00:23The best people I have had here and best friends, they've been part of my life,
00:28they've been part of my family, they've been my friends and I don't want to miss them all.
00:34Yeah, well 32 years, you've potentially seen children of children and all that don't you,
00:38it's the next generation.
00:39I'll tell you one of the paper boy, his children done the paper round for me and then he has
00:44got grandchildren now.
00:46So most of the families I know, four generations, like Jan here, I know her daughter, grandson.
00:52As is the grandson, yeah, yeah.
00:54So most of the families I know, four generations, it's been absolutely fantastic you know.
01:00Look how, you were saying, we were having a little chat off camera, he's always smart
01:04isn't he?
01:05Always.
01:06Always.
01:07Always.
01:08I try my best to represent Post Office, I'm old school, I try to do my best and I've done
01:16my best, that's all I can say, yeah.
01:18So you're not putting your feet up and retiring to Barbados are you?
01:21No, I'm just moving to the other post office.
01:24So where are you moving to?
01:25Peribar.
01:26Peribar.
01:27So what's prompted the move then?
01:29It's my boss who actually would like to retire, so when I move there, then he'll start taking
01:36it easy and then I'll take over there.
01:40So what's, are you going to miss him guys?
01:42Oh yeah, definitely.
01:43So what's special about him then, I think I'm getting a glimpse of it, even the few
01:46minutes of.
01:47It's just a very nice person.
01:48Always got a smile on his face, always there for people, never, never, never, you know,
01:55never unhappy, never cross word, never, always happy, smiley, always, always there to help
02:02as well.
02:03Yeah?
02:04Yeah.
02:05Oh yeah.
02:06Always.
02:07Always got the banter with people, he'd come in, oh hey it's you, or give me something
02:08to shoot with everyone else.
02:09Yeah.
02:10Absolutely brilliant.
02:11That's what I'm saying, I, you know, I see like, it's best to have a laugh and a joke,
02:17yeah.
02:18Life goes better, rather than, yes, I have my problems, but rather than looking at those
02:24and getting down, I'd rather, you know, try to make somebody happy.
02:27Positive outlook, yeah, yeah.
02:28Positive outlook and try to make somebody happy, you know, because people have more
02:33troubles than I have.
02:34Yeah.
02:35Simple as that.
02:36Oh, he was a little nervous, wasn't he?
02:37What are you going to do on April Fools' Day now, sir?
02:38Oh, what's he normally, does he normally play a trick, does he?
02:39Oh my!
02:40Does he?
02:41Every time.
02:42So what's some of the tricks you've been up to, then?
02:43He used to phone me on April 1st, pretending to be the police or something like that.
02:44He'd be on crutches and everything.
02:45He'd be on crutches, he'd carry me around.
02:46He'd be on crutches, he'd come in on crutches.
02:47I'd see the plasters all over my face.
02:48Yeah, plaster on his arm.
02:49Yeah, yeah.
02:50You had a plaster on your arm the one year, pretending to break his arm.
02:51Yeah.
02:52I can imagine, if I were Liv Brownie, I'd be coming, I'd be making sure I come in on
02:53April Fools' Day, just to see what he's up to, like, you know what I mean?
02:54Yeah.
02:55Yeah.
02:56Yeah.
02:57Yeah.
02:58Yeah.
02:59Yeah.
03:00Yeah.
03:01Yeah.
03:02Yeah.
03:04Yeah.
03:05Yeah.
03:06Yeah.
03:07Yeah.
03:08Yeah.
03:09Yeah.
03:10Yeah.
03:11Yeah.
03:12Yeah.
03:13Yeah.
03:14Yeah.
03:15Yeah.
03:16Yeah.
03:17Yeah.
03:18Yeah.
03:19Yeah.
03:20Yeah.
03:21Yeah.
03:22Yeah.
03:23Yeah.
03:24Yeah.
03:25Yeah.
03:26Yeah.
03:27Yeah.
03:28Yeah.
03:29Yeah.
03:30Yeah.
03:31Yeah.
03:32Yeah.
03:33Yeah.
03:34Yeah.
03:35Yeah.
03:36Yeah.
03:37Yeah.
03:38Yeah.
03:39Yeah.
03:40Yeah.
03:41Yeah.
03:42Yeah.
03:43Yeah.
03:44Yeah.
03:45Yeah.
03:46Yeah.
03:47Yeah.
03:48Yeah.
03:49Yeah.
03:50Yeah.
03:51Yeah.
03:52Yeah.
03:53Yeah.
03:54Yeah.
03:55Yeah.
03:56Yeah.
03:57Yeah.
03:58Yeah.
03:59Yeah.
04:00Yeah.
04:01Yeah.
04:02Yeah.
04:03Yeah.
04:04Yeah.
04:05Yeah.
04:06Yeah.
04:07Yeah.
04:08Yeah.
04:09Yeah.
04:10Yeah.
04:11Yeah.
04:12Yeah.
04:13Yeah.
04:14Yeah.
04:15Oh bloody.
04:16Vas all nice.
04:17Yeah.
04:18Yeah.
04:19Yeah.
04:20All good.
04:21Yeah.
04:22Yeah.
04:23Yeah.
04:24Yeah.
04:25Yeah.
04:26That's, that's never...
04:27As I would say, man.
04:28Yeah, they always come, oh, I'm just doing, just being, you know.
04:31Because I don't like to take that, because that means the pride is coming in my way.
04:35No, I don't like to do that. I like to be humble.
04:38You should own it today though, Sam. Of all days, you should own it, mate.
04:41No, I will not, because there's people who are good here.
04:44And honestly, I'm not saying, what I have seen here, 32 years, why didn't I move from here?
04:50The reason is, the people are so lovely.
04:53Yeah, yeah.
04:54I didn't want to go from here. I wanted to stay here.
04:57And if I could, I wouldn't stop here, but it's out of my hand.
05:02Yeah.
05:02So, as I said, I'm going with a lot of good, good, good memories.
05:07Yeah.
05:08I remember children, I remember everybody, like from, they were born.
05:11Yeah, yeah.
05:13So they grew up in front of my eyes.
05:14Yeah.
05:15Most of them, their children grew up in front of my eyes.
05:18No way.
05:18And the love they have shown.
05:19Well, so how old are you now then, Sam?
05:22I'm 54.
05:23So you were quite a young man yourself then.
05:24I was 22 when I started.
05:26Yeah, yeah.
05:27Jan was a young lady, you know.
05:29Yeah, Jan was your seven then.
05:31Yeah.
05:32I worked within 15 years.
05:34Did you?
05:35Yeah.
05:35Oh, wow.
05:36Yeah.
05:37Wow.
05:38So how many people were here earlier then?
05:40Oh, God.
05:42There was a lot of that.
05:42There was a lot of people.
05:44More than, more than 15.
05:45Wow, that's, that's, that's something else, mate.
05:48That speaks volumes.
05:50You know, I appreciate every single person.
05:52Some of them, they were so old, they couldn't make it, but they still came out.
05:56Yeah.
05:57You know, bless him, he had a broken leg.
06:00Yeah.
06:00He hasn't been out for a long time, to be honest, but he came just...
06:04He crawled on his hands and knees.
06:07Yeah.
06:08Yeah, well, that, that speaks volumes, Sam.
06:10I mean, I'm glad that, you know, Expression of the Star, although we've arrived late,
06:14has come, can capture that.
06:16Yeah, and get some photos from it.
06:17Yeah, and we wish you all the best, Sam.
06:19It's, you know, people like yourself make a community.
06:23So thank you, Sam, for all your service.
06:26And I would like to say thank you to Expression of the Star as well,
06:28because we, of course, we have Expression of the Star.
06:30We've been selling it from day one, when I came here.
06:34A few times, they have, you know, we have been mentioning Expression of the Star as well in the past.
06:39So, yes, and I would like to say thank you to Expression of the Star.
06:42No problem.
06:43For being there for us as well.
06:44Shall we give him one hippy hooray, ready?
06:46Hippy hooray!