When a small North East post office suddenly closed, the local publican decided to help out his neighbours.
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In the past week, Barnawartha's Matt Clarke of Star Hotel, has been one of those assisting, by delivering parcels to surrounding properties.
Barny locals were shocked on Friday, June 21, to see a sign posted at their general store on High Street announcing the "temporary closure" of the outlet due to "unforeseen circumstances".
In a sign attached to the mailboxes, Australia Post advised residents to travel to Wodonga or Chiltern to access postal services and products - and get their mail.
Mr Clarke, who runs the Star with his wife, Kathryn, said the sudden closure surprised many locals, particularly elderly residents who relied on the general store for their mail delivery as there is no letterbox delivery to residents.
"In a previous life, before we bought the pub, I used to be a Toll courier and what I'm doing today, I'm not at the pub, I'm driving around delivering mail," Mr Clarke said.
"My doing this is nothing to do with Australia Post, it's just people around here, there's a lot of good people here who like to help each other out, not just me. This will sort itself out."
Australia Post has apologised for the closure of the Barnawartha post office saying the loss to the community was "beyond its control".
An Australia Post spokesman said he could not comment about the reason for the store closing.
"Given the sudden nature, Australia Post has worked to quickly put temporary alternative arrangements in place, including free mail redirections, while we explore all possible options for customers," the spokesman said.
"We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused the local community and thank them for their patience and understanding during this time."
