Feel-good Friday

Five decades after joining the Post Office in 1975, Plymouth-based Parcel Sort Machine (PSM) operator Ivor Atkinson-Lewis is still going strong with the business.

‘In 1981 the government passed legislation to separate telecoms away from the Post Office and we became the Royal Mail,’ he says, recalling the transformation that took place within the first years of his time with his new employer.

Like so many Royal Mail colleagues, Ivor started off his time with Royal Mail as a postie.

‘Everybody there was ex-military and naval,’ he recalls. ‘Unlike today, it was a very male environment. The officer in charge of the Mail Centre had the title of ‘Chief Inspector’. When people came out of the service, they were found work and we had our own territorial army section within Royal Mail.’

Ivor says he has had ‘very diverse jobs for Royal Mail’ over the years. ‘We had one area manager, Colin Toogood, and I used to be his photographer. If the area manager was giving out certificates, I would take the photos. We even did a range of postcards, which Colin produced.’

In the days before RMtv, Ivor was also involved in producing a film which for use in training sessions. ‘Heavily into photography’ and a member of the Guild of Photographers, his passion for that pastime has seen him photographing Cornish mines and pumphouses for the National Trust.

During his 50 years with Royal Mail, Ivor has experienced many changes - new products, new ways of working, new people. Although it’s not just changes to the business that have impressed themselves on Ivor, but the increase in the speed at which they take place.

‘Years ago, Royal Mail would bring out changes to the way they operated but it could take 10-15 years to come into force,’ he reflects. ‘Now, our structure is so flexible that changes can happen very quickly – within three to four months.’