A long-serving postmistress has retired after serving her community for the last half century. Janet Evans, who ran the Church Village Post Office for the last 50 years, handed over the keys to her beloved business on Wednesday, June 7.
The 73-year-old has spent her whole working life involved with the Post Office. Janet's mother, Enid George was the postmistress for Beddau and Janet started working there in 1965. She said: “My mother started in Taff Street Post Office back in 1941 - I think she was only 13 at the time. She then worked in head office and had her own Post Office in 1965. I left school and went straight there, at 16 years old, to the post office in Beddau. I was helping my mother and I loved it.
"I have always been good at maths - with my figures - and I loved anything to do with adding up. Years ago we didn’t have computers or adding up machines - we did everything in our head and bookkeeping."
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Janet also did holiday relief cover at Church Village Post Office. When that postmistress was looking to step down from the role, they did a swap. Janet took on the business with accommodation in October 1973 and the postmistress bought Janet’s home. Her husband, Colin, whom she married in 1970, also built the adjoining shop at Church Village in 1976. In the 80s, they had four businesses in a row - the post office, a bakery, a laundrette (which she still runs) and a mini market.
Her family has a lengthy experience of working in the Post Office, with many involved in running a variety of branches. Her sister, Rosemary Edwards also started at Postmistress for Ynysbwl for a few years until the opportunity came up to take over their mum’s former Post Office at Beddau, which she ran from 1976 until 2000. When she retired, Rosemary’s son Jason Edwards took over.
Janet was also a representative on the National Federation of Subpostmasters. She has previously been chair of her regional group of NFSP. She said: “I have loved my role serving the community [at the Post office]. I have worked with some great people including Christine Thomas who has been with me for 30 years. It has been great working in a team. We just all pulled together to do what jobs needed to be done from serving the customers, making the tea, washing the windows.
“We have always been laughing and chatting with customers. We have a 102-year-old customer who still walks to the Post Office and we still share a joke and a laugh – maybe we help to keep her young at heart."
“We stayed open throughout the pandemic – that was really busy with people sending so many parcels, lots of home shopping returns and banking. People were very grateful that we were open and that they could stay local. They also wanted to get out and have somewhere to go with friendly faces.
“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know my customers. You see them as young children, grow up, then many have had children of their own. People often pop back to the village and call in to see me and joke ‘I can’t believe that you are still here.’ People are sad that I am going, but they understand. They are pleased that someone is taking over as Postmaster.”
After suffering from ill health last year and a heart attack in 2017 - brought on by stress - it made her put life into perspective and she decided that now is the right time retire. Janet will now have more time to enjoy playing golf and badminton, and spend time with her beloved pets including Shetland ponies, a goat and a parrot named Jelly at her home in Treforest.
She said: ”I’ve been playing golf since the 1990s. I played badminton when I was younger and I said to my friend ‘why don’t we try something different’ back in '92. We went to a golf course in The Vale and we joined and then we were in the league.”
Janet was Lady Captain of Pontypridd Golf Club in 2006 and Club Captain in 2017, the first female to hold that role since 1905. During that time she was playing her best golf, but after suffering from a minor heart attack, she decided to start to take life easier from that point. However, she still loves playing the sport and is still a Director of the golf club. She added: “I still feel full of energy - I’m lucky really.”
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