Nassau, Bahamas – After 40 years of service to the Bahamas Post Office Department, Dolores Pinder will officially retire on March 2.
She joined the Post Office Department as a dispatcher in the Sands Road location and climbed the ranks to retire as Senior Superintendent of the Cable Beach Post Office, a post she has held for seven years.
“I did the work of the senior officer when I started working at the Post Office. I enjoyed it and learned a lot. I was responsible for registered mail between Nassau and the Family Islands. Then I sorted the mail to and from the Family Islands. I continued in Registered Mail then moved to the Stamp Counter,” said Mrs. Pinder.
She worked at the Shirley Street branch for five months, the Penny Savings Bank section, and she held brief stints at the post office in Clarence Bain building.
Among the highlights of her career, Mrs. Pinder explained that with the exception of an ancillary worker, she was the first female employee in the Dispatching department then located on Sands Road.
“I worked with men like Mr. Lunn, Kenneth Moss and Charles Williams and other men. I did not encounter any discrimination as the first female in that area. The heavy mail bags had to be lifted but the men did that. We had a good relationship. They didn’t show me any disrespect. I enjoyed working with men,” said Mrs. Pinder.
Mrs. Pinder has fond recollections of her years in the public service. Included in them are the relationships she has formed particularly during her tenure at the Cable Beach branch.
“I interacted with a lot of clients and made many friends and formed lasting relationships. To this day I still communicate with some of them and I also communicate with former co-workers who left the Post Office,” said Mrs. Pinder.
One of those persons is Tina Johnson, a client who resides in Mayaguana. Another was a visitor from Bermuda who accidentally left her wallet in the Post Office. After receiving a phone call from Mrs. Pinder she later returned to collect it and they’ve been friends ever since.
Asked to describe her 40 years of service Mrs. Pinder said, “I enjoyed my work. You have to like what you do. If I had to do it all over again I would do it the same way,” she said.
Prior to going on pre-retirement leave, Mrs. Pinder received a plaque and a gift from Postmaster General Godfrey Clarke. She also attended a four-day pre-retirement planning seminar organized by the Department of Public Service which she thoroughly enjoyed.
As for her future, Mrs. Pinder said she plans to dedicate her time to working with elderly persons. “I know a lot of senior citizens who need help so I plan to assist if they need transportation to go to the doctor or elsewhere”.
Her advice to employees of the Postal department: “Be committed and communicate more. Further your academic studies. You can make a career out of it – it’s more than just “mail”.
CAPTION:
Delores Pinder, a 40-year postal worker retires from the Public Service. (BIS Photo/Letisha Henderson)