We noticed that both of our driving licences are due for renewal within the next two weeks. The process is that we sign the forms and turn up, in person, at the Service Tasmania office in Launceston to have a new photograph taken. Not being keen to mingle with the virus-covered crowd, we decided that Marilyn would ring Transport Tasmania and play the 'frail oldies' card to see if there was an alternative.
"No worries," said the pleasant young woman on the phone. "We'll pretend you're interstate. Send us the forms and a passport photo, and we'll sort it out."
The nearest post box is near the local café, which has been closed for a couple of weeks through fear of the plague. There's not another building for miles around and I'm not sure whether the box is still in use. Nevertheless, I took the letters done and posted them just two minutes before the designated pick-up time of 5.00 pm. There was a substantial spider web built across the slot which didn't fill me with confidence and there wasn't another vehicle in sight in any direction. However, we need to trust our public institutions in these difficult times.
At 1.09pm today, we each received an email from Transport Tasmania to say that our licences had been renewed. In that 20 hour period, an employee of Australia Post had opened the box and collected the mail. It had been sorted and put on a vehicle to take it to Hobart, where it had been sorted again and put in a bag to go to the Transport Department. Someone there had opened the two letters, updated the licences and contacted us to say everything was as it should be.
Pretty good going, I would say.
"No worries," said the pleasant young woman on the phone. "We'll pretend you're interstate. Send us the forms and a passport photo, and we'll sort it out."
The nearest post box is near the local café, which has been closed for a couple of weeks through fear of the plague. There's not another building for miles around and I'm not sure whether the box is still in use. Nevertheless, I took the letters done and posted them just two minutes before the designated pick-up time of 5.00 pm. There was a substantial spider web built across the slot which didn't fill me with confidence and there wasn't another vehicle in sight in any direction. However, we need to trust our public institutions in these difficult times.
At 1.09pm today, we each received an email from Transport Tasmania to say that our licences had been renewed. In that 20 hour period, an employee of Australia Post had opened the box and collected the mail. It had been sorted and put on a vehicle to take it to Hobart, where it had been sorted again and put in a bag to go to the Transport Department. Someone there had opened the two letters, updated the licences and contacted us to say everything was as it should be.
Pretty good going, I would say.
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