Canada Post employee retires in Standard after 50 years

Times Contributor

 

Ken Mellsen is “putting away” the mail bag, so to speak, as he retires from Canada Post after 50 years of serving Rosebud, Chancellor, Strathmore and Carseland.

Mellsen started in 1962 with Edith McGowan (Standard’s first Post Mistress) when the Canada Post home base office was on Main Street in Standard. He has worked with many different Post Mistresses and Masters over the years, he recalls: Edith McGowan, May Westegaard, Phyllis Milbak, Chris Meyers, Kevin Coonfer and Terry Taylor who retired last year after serving Standard for 27 years.

Mellsen has driven literally thousands of miles and when asked about how it was he answered, “good days and bad, and all sorts of Alberta weather” but he does remember the vehicles. Mellsen said he often traded up in Drumheller every year. When asked what his first vehicle was, his son Leon jokingly asked, “was it a horse?” Mellsen recalls going through a few Datsun trucks, as well as a Mazda diesel. He recalled a time when one of his “helpers” accidentally put gas in his diesel truck. While not funny at the time, it was all part and parcel of his memories over the last 50 years.

Standard community members came out in his honour to have some cake and coffee graciously supplied by the current staff Post Mistress Mary Andruskievicz, Cathy Adamson, Cathy Christensen, Traci Rasmussen and retired Post Mistress Terry Taylor.