An east Perthshire community held a special celebration to thank their postman and wish him all the best for his retirement after more than three decades of dedicated service in the area.
Meigle and Ardler’s much-loved postie, Lawrence Kippen, retired at the end of May after 32 years of delivering mail to local residents.
A collection for Lawrence raised an incredible £1200, and two commemorative books were collated featuring photos and messages, all of which was presented to the now retired postie at an emotional get together in the Kinloch Memorial Hall on Saturday.
One of the organisers of the sendoff was Doris Scott from Meigle.
She said: “Lawrence has been a wonderful postie over the last 32 years and has gone above and beyond his postie duties, helping many people over the years.
“Friendly and reliable through rain, shine and everything in between, he has been a constant and much-loved part of the community for so long. He’s seen children, grandchildren – and in some cases great-grandchildren – grow up in the village and has been hugely supportive to so many people, often stopping for a blether and putting the world to rights.
“He will be terribly missed but we all wish him a long, happy and well-deserved retirement.”
Thanking everyone for their generosity, Lawrence said: “I have had the privilege and the pleasure of being your postie for 32 years, watching children grow up, and having a blether and plenty of laughs with just about everybody on umpteen subjects.
“To all my customers in Meigle, Ardler, and the surrounding areas, I cannot thank you enough for your kindness and generosity, and for all your lovely gifts, cards and messages. This is a day I’ll never forget.
“I’d like to say a special thank you to Doris for organising this event, and to everyone who came along today.
“I’m very honoured and grateful, it’s blown me away.”
Meigle and Ardler Community Development Trust (MACDT) chair, Ali Napier, was amongst those at the get-together.
He said: “We’re all hugely grateful to Lawrence for his many years of dedicated service in the villages and hope he enjoys a long and happy retirement.
“We’re very lucky here in Meigle and Ardler to have such a strong community, and it was great to see so many people turn out to wish Lawrence well.
“Thanks to Doris and the volunteers for organising the collection and for the wonderful spread of home-baking – it was a brilliant send-off for a lovely man.”