Villagers pay tribute to their postie as he retires

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Villagers pay tribute to their postie as he retires after 20 years

MORE than 100 villagers squeezed into Buriton Village Hall to throw a surprise retirement party for their local postie.


Postman Mick Lee stood down in March after over 20 years delivering the mail to Buriton.

But, as parish council chairman Andrew Bray explained at the party, Mr Lee was much more than just a postman.

"Mick has always been a warm, cheerful and friendly character who has made a big contribution to village life beyond his formal duties," said Mr Bray.

"He has always been willing to help parishioners sort out minor problems. I don't suppose that we will ever see his like again."

The surprise party had been planned for almost a year.

"But Mick almost upset the arrangements when he suddenly decided to retire earlier than expected," added Mr Bray.

The postman had been invited to attend a special display of old photographs from the Village Association's Heritage Bank collection.

"Everyone in the village knew that the display was just 'a cover' to get Mick along," said Mr Bray.

"But we had to keep it a secret from him for months."

Mick's wife, Jill, had also known about the secret party for a long time. "I don't know how we all kept it a secret," she said.

"Everyone was worried that he might not want to come if he knew that he was going to be the centre of attention. But he's really enjoyed himself."

Villagers had raised over £500 to present Mick and Jill with coach travel vouchers so that they can enjoy Mick's retirement by visiting new places.

And children from Buriton's nursery and primary schools had also made special cards for Mick – thanking him, in particular, "for all your smiles."

But there was almost a panic at the end of the evening when the envelope containing the coach travel vouchers went missing.

After a frantic search, the envelope was found in the car park. Mick had dropped it on the way to his car.

"I don't think that I've ever lost an envelope in my career," said a slightly embarrassed Mick afterwards.

"And this one wouldn't have been one to lose.