Special delivery: Watts return home

The black and white photo sticky-taped to the side of the computer monitor in the Helensburgh Post Office says it all: this boy’s local and he has come home.

The photo shows students of Helensburgh Public School in short pants and 70s hairstyles and Greg Watts can name particularly everyone in what was his primary class.

Greg and his wife Lorrelle are the new licensees of the Helensburgh Post Office and they couldn’t be happier about the return home.

Greg is the son of Pat and the late Ken Watts of Stanwell Tops and attended Helensburgh Public School, Heathcote High School and the University of Wollongong before starting work at BHP Steel, Port Kembla.

Lorrelle hails from Clifton - not the one on the other side of the road closure, but a small country town on the Darling Downs in Queensland. She is an accountant by training.

Greg and Lorrelle have been married for almost 15 years and have two children, five-year-old Sarah and three-year-old Alex.

The Watts lived and worked in and around Sydney from the early 1990s, followed by nearly five years in Tennessee, USA, and six months in Shanghai, China. They returned home late last year having tired of the corporate life.

They were looking to buy into a small business when the Post Office licence became available.

“We have not looked back,” said Greg. 

“We are now our own bosses, get to see the reward for our efforts daily and are enjoying the challenge. 

“The Post Office these days is more like a retail shop that posts things, as opposed to the historically post only. We offer banking, gifts, passport photographs and application interviews, international money transfers, travelers’ cheques, office supplies, greeting cards, mobile and telephone pre-paid, and much more on top of all the usual, important mail functions.”

Greg says it has been a huge learning curve.

“We are also enjoying the fantastic benefit of being back home, not only to enjoy family and friends, but also the wonderful northern Illawarra,” he said.

“Having lived in and experienced some very different places in this world, we know that here we have one of the truly wonderful places in the world.”

“And we are here to stay,” said Lorrelle, “The public has been very warm and welcoming so far and we are looking forward to that only getting better. 

“We plan on being around for many, many years.”