Chamber takes up the fight

BERWICK Village Chamber of Commerce seems lately to be challenged with seeing that residents get a fair go.
The chamber was asked to pick up the cudgel for what was considered to be an inappropriate proposed shopping and hotel complex in Lyall Road, now refused, at least temporarily.
It has faced a long battle to have the village street beautification scheme completed and met nothing but procrastination from council officers.
This when businesspeople paid their share of the scheme nearly 10 years ago.
Delays meant costs went up and the original scheme, agreed to after many hours of meetings, was seriously truncated.
Businesspeople were short-sheeted. Besides promoting the village as a shopping destination, the chamber now has to battle to get the Berwick Post Office open on Saturday mornings.
That a major post office in a major strip shopping centre could remain shut on Saturday mornings is something that always mystified me.
But I have to say that I receive excellent service from staff at the post office when I go in with a print paid mailing consignment.
The existing weekday service is excellent but it is time Australia Post began to think about the community.
My concern is the spurious reasons given for keeping the service closed on Saturday mornings.
One Australia Post spokesperson, reported in the Gazette last week, said there were four other post offices within four kilometres of Berwick that opened on Saturdays.
But Berwick people are entitled to attend a Berwick post office and not have to race off to another town for postal services.
Another excuse was that a three-week opening prior to Christmas was below expectations. How can any assessment be made on a three-week trial when people had no time to realise the office was open?
What were Australia Post’s expectations?
We were also told that people could obtain parcels from the parcel hatch from 6.30am, or if they couldn’t attend during business hours have the parcel transferred to another post office.
These responses are bordering on arrogance and certainly show a complete disregard for Berwick residents.