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Singapore

GALLERY: A day in the life of a Pulau Ubin postman

This article is more than 12 months old
GALLERY: A day in the life of a Pulau Ubin postman
Mr Haron Bin Jomahat double-checks the mailing addresses in front of kampong house complete with zinc roofing on Pulau Ubin. TNP PHOTO: GARY GOH
Gary Goh
May 21, 2014 07:00 am
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Rain or shine every weekday afternoon, you’ll find Mr Haron Jomahat sitting on the brown benches at Changi Point Ferry Terminal.

Like anyone else who wants to go to Pulau Ubin, Mr Haron has to wait for 11 others to fill the bumboat before it leaves the terminal.

Then it’s a 10-minute journey to the island.

But unlike other boat passengers, who might be going on a rustic adventure, the 73-year-old part-time postman makes the daily trips to deliver mail to the island’s last remaining residents.

A Singapore Post spokesman said Mr Haron is the oldest postman in Singapore.

On good days, he can be on his way within minutes of arriving at the ferry terminal.

Families at the walk at Pulau Ubin.
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But rainy days mean fewer people travelling to Pulau Ubin, and he may have to wait for hours.

Mr Haron, the only postman in Singapore to take a bumboat to deliver mail, said with a chuckle: “I spend the time reading newspapers or just relax on the benches.”

Yet there is a lot more to his job than having to rely on an irregular ferry service.

He knows each residential address on the island, and sorts the letters at the SingPost delivery base off Loyang Avenue, starting with houses nearest to the jetty.

Pulau Ubin Postman
Mr Haron Jomahat retrieving the day's mail at a specially marked box at Singpost Loyang Ave delivery base.TNP PHOTO: GARY GOH
Pulau Ubin Postman
Mr Haron Jomahat is the only SingPost postman that has to take a ferry for his daily mail runs to Pulau Ubin. The ex-islander loves the rustic environment of Ubin, because it reminds him of his old home on Pulau Tekong where he grew up many years ago.TNP PHOTO: GARY GOH
 
Pulau Ubin Postman
Mr Harun Jomahat would first start his mail run with the shophouses near the jetty before venturing deeper into the island. TNP PHOTO: GARY GOH
Pulau Ubin Postman
Mr Haron Jomahat dropping mail into a motorcycle storage box that doubles up as a makeshift mailbox. TNP PHOTO: GARY GOH
Pulau Ubin Postman
Mr Haron Jomahat double-checks the mailing addresses in front of kampong house complete with zinc roofing on Pulau Ubin. TNP PHOTO: GARY GOH
Pulau Ubin Postman
Mr Haron Jomahat delivering mail to an islander on Pulau Ubin. Mr Haron would sound his horn when he approaches the homes, and if the resident is in, he would hand deliver the mail. TNP PHOTO: GARY GOH
Pulau Ubin Postman
Some of the houses on Pulau Ubin does not even have a tar road, so Mr Haron Jomahat has to ride his motorcycle into some of the most treacherous terrain on Pulau Ubin just to deliver mail. TNP PHOTO: GARY GOH
Pulau Ubin Postman
Some of the houses on Pulau Ubin are deep in forest and Mr Haron Jomahat has to ride his motorcycle through thick foliage before reaching these isolated homes.TNP PHOTO: GARY GOH
Pulau Ubin Postman
Apart from delivering mail at Pulau Ubin, Mr Haron Bin Jomahat also has to service the only post box on the island.TNP PHOTO: GARY GOH
Pulau Ubin Postman
With resident numbers dwindling, there is hardly any mail being posted out. TNP PHOTO: GARY GOH

 

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Gary Goh

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