Donachie
A DAY IN THE LIFE of Graham Donachie is more than pushing a cart to deliver the mail. He’s been a mail clerk at UVic for 12 years. Previously he worked for more than 20 years with the Royal Mail in Dundee, Scotland.
Starting at 7 a.m., cages full of mail left by Canada Post are sorted. Customs forms on overseas packages are handled, as are priority, express, registered and COD items. “Sometimes a package arrives with a minimal address for someone who isn’t in the directory,” says Donachie, “but we eventually make a connection with the correct department.”
Once the first delivery is finished, sorting starts again. Mail picked up is metered and packages checked for secure wrapping. After the second delivery, which includes print shop items, they prepare all mail and parcels for Canada Post to pick up in the afternoon.
“I love my job,” he says. “I get to go around to 150 different departments and meet a diverse group of people. In Dundee, I worked with guys, mostly Scots, but here I talk with people from all parts of the world … It’s broadened my experience.”
Donachie loves the quality of life in Canada. “When I was a postie in the ‘60s, an old lady on my route would give me Beautiful BC Magazine to read. That publication and the lyrics of Gordon Lightfoot are just two of the reasons I eventually came to discover Canada.”
With a passion for drawing and painting, he attended Victoria College of Art. He works in oils and acrylics, and does freehand drawing. One of his paintings hangs in a private Scots Guard museum in Perthshire, Scotland.
He’s also a member of the Club Tread hiking group in Victoria. When not hiking or painting, Donachie writes poetry and stories.
If you would like to participate in this ongoing Day in the Life series, or suggest someone to profile, contact Linda Sproule-Jones at 721-8486 or
sproulel@uvic.ca.
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