Cross Keys celebrates return of post office

Residents of Cross Keys and more than a dozen surrounding districts are celebrating the return of their post office to the rural Manchester town after a temporary relocation to Knockpatrick left many struggling with increased travel costs and inconvenience.

The facility has a long history in Cross Keys. It originally occupied a prominent position in the centre of the town square, a location that offered sweeping views of sections of Clarendon and nearby cays on clear days. 

It was later relocated westward toward New Broughton and operated for decades from a privately owned building. That move diminished the post office's prominence, both literally and figuratively. Residents said the location was less convenient for customers. 

It was subsequently relocated to a building situated between the Cross Keys Police Station and Courthouse. The structure had previously served as residential quarters for travelling police officers assigned to the station. The post office operated there for several years with minimal maintenance until Hurricane Beryl severely damaged the building in 2024. Evidence of the storm's destruction remains visible. The battered structure still stands, with damaged walls, remnants of post box numbers and traces of retrofitting work. 

While residents faithfully followed the post office through previous relocations within walking distance of the community, the move to Knockpatrick proved far more challenging.

Located more than 15 kilometres away, the temporary site was closer to Mandeville than to Cross Keys. Residents complained bitterly about the distance and transportation costs associated with accessing postal services.

“I glad, I glad, I glad so til dat di post office come back,” Alphea ‘Polly’ Wilson told The Gleaner a week ago, explaining that transportation costs placed an additional burden on residents, particularly the elderly and low-income earners.

“I went to a meeting with the member of parliament, and I spoke about di absence and how costly and inconvenient it was to go to Knockpatrick, which is in the middle of nowhere. Taxi from here to Mandeville is between $300 and $350, depending on where you take it. To Knockpatrick, it’s $200, and from there to Mandeville is another $200. Poor people should not be paying so much money to get their mail,” she lamented. 

Despite the limitations of the current location, Wilson welcomed the return of the service. 

“So I am really happy it has returned, although in a tiny space, but it is back. And it is being used,” she stated.

Branch Manager Thelma Meikle confirmed that the Cross Keys Post Office serves multiplecommunities.

“I am unable to give you the number of persons [who use it], but I know we serve 21 to 22 communities. They include Marlie Hill, Resource, Cocoa Walk, Plowden, Resource, Pusey Hill, Salmon Town, New Broughton, and Restore, to name just some,” she told The Gleaner.

Among the communities served are Marlie Hill, Resource, Cocoa Walk, Plowden, Pusey Hill, Salmon Town, New Broughton and Restore.

Meikle noted that the current location – a retrofitted space on what was the old People’s Cooperative Bank – is temporary.

“Yes, the postmaster general came and they are looking for a permanent place. They are planning to fix the building on the police station property so the post office can move back there. There are also plans for a remittance service to be part of the new building when it is renovated and we return there,” she disclosed.

Meikle said residents frequently complained about the difficulties associated with travelling to Knockpatrick.

“It was difficult because sometimes the taxis don't want to stop. So persons have to get off the taxi there and they take the next taxi to Mandeville. Sometimes if they are not going to Mandeville, they come to the post office, but have difficulty getting home, as the taxis would be coming full from Mandeville,” she told The Gleaner.

She added that the return of the post office has significantly improved access for pensioners and Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) beneficiaries.

Although many customers now receive utility bills electronically, the post office continues to process a substantial volume of mail.

“We still get about 600 to 650 bills per month from the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS). We get water bills from National Water Commission (NWC) and PATH beneficiaries, between 300 and 350, and all of them have to use the facility,” Meikle said.

“Pensioners are not going to stop, because they say the service they get from the post office is a one-to-one connection and it is not the same when they go to the bank, where it is impersonal and sterile,” she added.

The postman previously assigned to the branch has since been reassigned to Mandeville following the hurricane damage. Nevertheless, Meikle said the current location is considerably more accessible for most residents than Knockpatrick.

Vice-Chairman of the Cross Keys Area Development Committee, Bobzie Allen, said the committee, along with the Parish Development Committee, played a key role in securing the post office's return.

Allen explained that community representatives closely monitored the damaged building after concerns arose about temporary repair efforts.

“We went in and put a stop to that. So, in our negotiation that brought the postmaster general and his team from Kingston to join myself, Mr (Smedley) Reid, Mr Freckleton, and a couple more people, and we put to them our case. Show them the areas from Rose Hill to Plowden to Marlie Hill, Warwick, everybody. And we were asked if we can we find a place locally to accommodate them for even three days per week,” Allen told The Gleaner.

“We then approached Mr McPherson, who is the owner of the current space it occupies and an agreement was reached. So we got through with that, and the next move was for us to do some remedial work for it to be operational. It’s only been back a few weeks,” he said.

His wife, Maizie Allen, was among the customers using the facility when The Gleaner visited last week Wednesday.

“The post office used to be a famous gathering point for everybody. That was when Cross Keys was Cross Keys. Many persons are glad that it has come back because it was too far and too costly to go to Knockpatrick,” she told The Gleaner.

Resident Dothlyn Gregory also welcomed the return, highlighting the strong relationship customers have with Branch Manager Meikle.

“Sometimes, I don’t even know that a mail is there and she would send messages to me to come to the post office. It is more than just a post office,” Gregory said.

Another resident, Aretea Bromfield, said she was checking for mail expected for her daughter. She noted that the facility, which is open Mondays to Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5p.m. and is once again serving as a vital hub for residents, remains important for much more than bill collection.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com