Community
4 July, 2025
Stepping away
DERRINALLUM’S Post Office will see a change in ownership after 38 years of dedicated work.
Larry and Margaret Howard have been with the Derrinallum Post Office since November 16, 1987, when they took over from the previous owner Kevin Caine.
Mr Howard said the pair began as agents for the post office, soon becoming licensees as time went on – the Howards also introduced mail delivery services to the Derrinallum Post Office in 1993.
They were now looking to step back and enjoy retirement.
“We’re looking to retire and have some family time,” Mr Howard said.
“We wish them (the new owners) all the best in their new venture.
“I think they’re slotting in very well with the locals. It’s working very well.”
The post office will now be run by Jagadeesh Kumar Tubati, Vinay Parimi and their partners Suresh Koganti and Sri Praveen Paladugu.
Mr Tubati said he came to Australia six years ago and met Mr Parimi while studying at university.
“We were just friends at the time, and eventually we became good buddies,” he said.
“After a while talked about entering a business. I was looking for the past three years for a good business, so it took this long to get a really good business.
“I’ll be going back to my job – I’m working as a fleet manager – but Vinay will be looking after the post office.”
Mr Parimi said they were “lucky” to have found the post office and have been enjoying a positive response from the community during their training.
“Everybody is so welcoming here. Marg and Larry have trained us well,” he said.
“They introduced us to the locals and everyone has been really good to us.
“We’re looking forward to making the same relationships Marg and Larry maintained for the past 38 years.”
Mr Tubati said he wanted to continue all the services the Derrinallum Post Office had been providing into the future.
“Whatever Margaret and Larry used to do in the main post office, we’re going to do the same – whether it’s community service or mail delivery,” he said.
“We are not going to change even a little bit – we want to keep on running the same things.”
The Howards officially finished their tenure on Monday, with the handover occurring on Tuesday.
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