Strathnaver residents shower retiring postmistress with gifts in appreciation of her 'attentive' service
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Customers at a tiny Sutherland post office have shown their gratitude to their retiring postmistress for her years of loyal and "attentive" service.
Morag Macleod stood down earlier this month from rural Strathnaver Post Office after 37 years behind the counter.
Post Office bosses have already marked her departure with David Duff, network provision lead, visiting Strathnaver to present Morag with a large bouquet of flowers.
But users of the service were not going to let her step back without also showing their appreciation and letting her know just how much she was valued.
In a series of socially distanced presentations, an impressive number of gifts were handed over including flowers, a hamper, vouchers and a large card with the names of all the contributors.
A garden arbour has yet to be presented after being held up in transit.
Morag operated the tiny post office six days a week with her only respite, other than the Sabbath, being a half-day on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Her next door neighbour, Ian (Inshlampie) Mackay paid tribute to her dedication, saying: “I don’t know how she did it, but I’m sure no-one could have done it better or more attentively.”
Strathnaver resident Sian O'Brien said: "Morag is indeed one of the unsung heroes of Strathnaver. She has always been busy with many things beyond her remarkable spell of work for the Post Office.
"She has volunteered on the hall committee and for many years and played an important role in supporting her husband Donald with his many activities, especially the editorship of the long-running local magazine Am Bratach and with Gaelic related activities."
She added: "Her retiral would ordinarily have been marked by one of Strathnaver's famous ceilidhs and this was only prevented by the current pandemic restrictions.
"It may be that a toast or two will be raised in the good old Strathnaver fashion once restrictions abate."
A graduate librarian, Morag worked in the Brora Public Library before moving to Strathnaver with her husband Donald when he returned in 1980 to work the family croft.
The opportunity to take over the post office arose in April 1984 after her predecessor, Mrs Audrey Wilson, emigrated to Canada and Morag has stuck with it ever since.
Did anything exciting happen in the post office over the decades?
Well, a few philatelists came by in order to make use of the unique postmark and Jeremy Paxman dropped in once while fishing on the nearby river but, almost all the time, her only customers were her neighbours on the Strath.
However, Morag was in no way disheartened by the restricted footfall.
“I enjoyed every day,” she said. “It was a privilege and a pleasure to serve my neighbours over all these years.”
In retirement Morag hopes to find a lot more time to potter round her garden and, as Covid 19 restrictions lift, to visit friends and family in the world beyond the Strath.
The Post Office has said it is hoped to restore a service to the area as soon as possible.
