For more than 42 years, Owen Post Office has been home to South Australia’s longest-serving postmistress, Derily Snook
Every country town has one.
The person everyone knows. The one you call when you don’t know who else to call. The person who somehow knows your kids, remembers to ask how your mum’s going and notices when you haven’t been around for a while.
In Owen, that person is the ever-cheerful Derily Snook.
Ask Derily what she’s achieved over the years and she’ll simply shrug, insisting she “just did her job”. The people of Owen know she’s done much more than that.
As South Australia’s longest-serving postmistress prepares to hand over the keys of the Owen Post Office, she’s leaving behind much more than a job. She’s leaving behind four decades of memories, friendships and the kind of service that helps hold country towns together.
A Girl, A Counter And A Community
When Australia Post questioned the future of the Owen Post Office in the early 1980s, the local council stepped in, purchasing the building and taking over the service so the town wouldn’t lose something so important.
After sorting through a stack of applications, they handed the keys to a 16-year-old local girl.
Whoever made that decision couldn’t have known she would still be standing behind the counter 42 years later, becoming as much a part of Owen as the post office itself.
But running a country post office wasn’t always easy.
As a young woman running a business in the 1980s, some customers thought they could pull the wool over her eyes or intimidate the teenager behind the counter.
It didn’t take long for people to realise they’d underestimated her. She learnt to stand her ground, tell people exactly where they stood, then send them on their way with a smile.
Derily is fifth-generation Owen through and through. She has deep roots in the district and an even deeper love for the community she’s spent her life serving.
Some locals will remember Derily long before parcel tracking and online banking. Back then she was the life of the local discos, dancing on top of the DJ speakers in her iconic black catsuit, with magnificent hair, impressive dance moves and enough energy to entice everyone to hit the dance floor.
The black catsuit may be long gone, but not much else has changed. The hair is still perfectly coiffed, the clothes immaculate, the makeup flawless and the smile as bright as ever. Warm, witty and impossible to miss, Derily has always added a splash of colour wherever she goes.
Why Derily Snook Became More Than A Postmistress
Over four decades, Derily became Owen’s unofficial one-stop shop. She helped elderly residents sort out banking, filled out forms, explained paperwork and solved problems that had nothing to do with Australia Post. She even hid the odd parcel for wives trying to keep birthday presents and extra online shopping purchases away from curious husbands.
Like many country postmistresses, she wore far more hats than her job description ever suggested. Some days she found herself helping police; other days she was the unofficial tourist information centre, the town counsellor or simply the person everyone trusted to point them in the right direction.
Mostly though, she listened. She gave advice, called a spade a shovel when someone needed it, and had a knack for making people feel a little better by the time they walked out.
Her commitment to the community didn’t stop at the front door either.
Always willing to lend a hand, she received a Zonta Community Worker Volunteer Award for her years of service and is a familiar face with the Lions Club, often found dishing out their famous donuts.
A New Chapter
Retirement, she says, isn’t about putting her feet up. For now, it’s about spending more time caring for her mum, Dorothy, slowing the pace a little, taking a few trips and finally living life without the constant responsibility of opening the post office every morning.
“I’m ready to go. I’ve been juggling a lot of balls over the past couple of years. I need to care for Mum, but I’d like a bit of ‘me time’ too. I’ll miss seeing everyone. I hope I don’t end up a recluse!” she laughed.
What she probably doesn’t realise is just how much she’ll be missed.
The post office hasn’t simply been where Derily worked. It’s where she’s built friendships, shared life’s milestones and become part of Owen’s story.
Forty-two years of early mornings.
Forty-two years of looking after a community.
Forty-two years of watching children become parents, and parents become grandparents.
The good news for Owen is the post office isn’t going anywhere.
The service will continue under the care of Kelsey Wedding, who already runs Owen’s popular coffee shop, Steamy Beanz. By bringing the two businesses together, locals will soon be able to collect a parcel, grab a coffee, browse giftware and enjoy a bite to eat all in one place.
Derily couldn’t be happier with the change.
She believes the combined business will give the town an even stronger community hub than before.
A Chance To Say Thank You
Everyone is welcome to join the Owen community for a farewell afternoon tea for Derily this Sunday, August 9, from 2pm at the Owen Town Hall.
Anyone who’s lived in a country town knows the best post offices have never really been about stamps or parcels.
They’ve always been about people.
And for 42 years, nobody looked after Owen’s people quite like Derily Snook.
Love stories that celebrate country people? Subscribe to the Greater SA newsletter and never miss the stories that matter most.
