WITH KHAKI SHIRT tucked in and mailbag in hand, Barbados’ first postwoman set out on her path to independence.
Every street sign, corner or alleyway along her Roebuck Street route now has a deeper meaning for Jacqueline “Jackie” Walrond, who reflected on the early days of her career with humble satisfaction.
Sitting in an office in the General Post Office (GPO) on Monday, she told the MIDWEEK NATION that she was confident and unafraid of being the only woman in the field at the time.
The fact that she always enjoyed being outdoors and learning the roads of Barbados made her a natural for mail delivery.
“This job just fit right into me,” she said. “My father had a bicycle, and sometimes when he come home early, I would go riding” [with a friend] from Grazettes to Christ Church.”
On December 1, 1976, she rose before the sun, making sure her house chores were done, and rode off on her father’s bicycle to the GPO which at was located in Parliament Square at the time.
The then 20-year-old said she did not expect to be treated differently by workmates and was generally well received with the exception of one woman.
“They should not employ no woman at the post office to deliver no mail,” the objector said, though she later became Walrond’s “good friend until the day she died”.
That encounter happened on the first day of work on a job that eventually helped to put her children through school and to buy her own home in the 1990s. This was quite an accomplishment for Walrond who previously lived with her parents and four siblings, but always valued independence.
The easy-going 59-year-old now works in the sorting office at the GPO and can appreciate the lessons learnt from her experiences such as the importance of staying humble.
She said that during her daily interactions she not only met people from all walks of life, but realised that we are all more alike than we think.
From the “the doctor, the lawyer, the man on the street, we get to meet everybody,” she said. “The attorney or whoever, he may be going through something similar to what all of us go through.”
Being a postman was not just a job, Walrond said, as they touched lives by playing other roles like counsellor and peacemaker from time to time.
“I am satisfied. Sometimes now I pass people and somebody would say ‘post’ or ‘Jackie’. It is nice at this age to see people still remember you,” she said.
This makes her feel like she has done something good.
Born and bred in a Christian community in Bush Hall, St Michael, she said she had noticed changes in values in society but was most concerned about a lack of respect and independent mentality amongst young people.
“I wish that young people, especially young women today, would decide to be more independent in the positive way, not the negative way,” she said.
Her life may not have always been an easy road to travel, but her faith in God and peaceful spirit helped her become the person she is today.
“When you have troubles, don’t cry; just remember God is standing by,” she said, recalling the lyrics of the Al Green song.
