Roads dangerous from black ice and snow and the lower temperature causing massive disruption to all services. As the new year began I gazed out from my front window at the sight of my grandchildren indulging in a snowball fight with some friends. The bells and fireworks were ushering in the New Year as the clock struck midnight. The last time that I had encountered this type of weather was 28 years ago.
In the early part of that year there was a period of turbulent cold weather with the heaviest fall of snow for decades. I lived in what I would describe as a semi rural part of what was then county Dublin. The delivery office where I worked was 4 miles from my home and at times I took the long route to work across country on narrow rural roads with very few cars for company and motorways still a of a figment of imagination.
Four of my workmates including our inspector lived in close proximity to where I lived and the previous night as weather condition worsened after number of phone calls we decided to cycle to work the following morning as the snow was soft and piled some inches high on the roads so cycling rather than driving seemed the more sensible action.
We arranged to meet at our inspectors house because though it was some miles from our office was the best place as to where we would begin our journey. When I got there the other four were waiting and off we went through the thick soft snow on our pilgrimage. The only noise was the crunching of the snow as the bicycle wheels cut deep furrows in blanket of white. We did not meet any other thing, dog or man on the way and we made fairly good time.
At a crossroads a mile from the office we stopped to have a breather. Our boss whose skills in dealing with every person were second to none reached into his saddle bag and miraculously produced a bottle of Powers Gold label.
He unscrewed the top of it and took a drink and with the comment jaysus that will warm us up handed it around. I am not sure whether we all normally indulged or not but on that morning many years ago he got no refusals. After our short break we moved on and it was not to long before we reached the office. From what I recollect there were very few failures on what was the worst morning I could remember in my time as a postman.
One of the lads who was in before us made a pot of tea and we sat and relaxed at our benches and related our adventures to the rest of the troops who may I add had also some tales to tell, harrowing and otherwise. We got stuck into sorting the mail and after a short while the subject of conditions came up. The inspector had a meeting with our local reps and the word was to do the best you can.
So reg and social welfare cheques were the priority. We were also due to return at 1 30 pm to deliver the midday delivery but after some brief negotiation this was knocked on the head. This was a local arrangement between the inspector and the local branch. If the boss had held to the party line it could have meant people doing a round trip of in some cases 12 miles. The mail was delivered as conditions improved over the next number of days and our leader grew in our estimation by his handling of what was a sensitive issue at the time.
Here was somebody who was really in charge and he did not shirk responsiblity. He was our boss for nearly 10 years and I can honestly say that I have never heard anyone say a bad word about him. He is now enjoying a well-deserved retirement. After he left our office he was promoted a number of times because of his ability to inter act with staff.
We were fortunate to have someone who did not follow the instructions given by his superiors blindly and was prepared to do what was not only best for An Post but also for the people in his charge.