By Kimberly Grabham.

Ray and Jan Longfellow share what life is like at the helm of the Ivanhoe Post Office, and their fondest community event, the Claypan Boogie.

Ray and Jan Longfellow are the friendly, helpful, capable husband and wife team who greet you when you go into the post office.

They are so much more, however.

People such as Ray and Jan Longfellow are the backbones of Ivanhoe.

Incredibly modest, Ray does not mention in his interview he was the unopposed mayor of Central Darling Shire for many years.

The Longfellows have been in Ivanhoe for many decades.

Coming to the area from Western Australia on the edge of the Nullarbor, they decided to move to the area for work.

The couple lived and worked on various properties for a time.

Adept in his role as an overseer, Ray and Jan decided to try their hand at something new.

A café in Ivanhoe became vacant and the pair decided to enter the food and hospitality industry.

For 10 years, they ran the café.

“We enjoyed our time there, but it was a lot of work,” she said. “We operated from 6am to midnight.

“We would make over 100 lunches a day, for lunch orders at the school. In those times they had some 200 children in attendance at the school.

“They would bring the lunch orders over in the morning, we would make them, pack them in boxes and send them back over.

“We would also put 80 pies in a big wood fire oven we had for half-time of the movies.

“The movies were run at the Ivanhoe Community Hall, and all the people who went would come down for something to eat at intermission. We would sell out of pies every time.”

The licence came up for the post office, so the couple applied for it, not thinking that they would be successful.

However, they ended up at the post office helm, and are still there at Ivanhoe Post Office 30 years later.

After 10 years in a busy café, they enjoyed the change of pace and learning something new.

However, there was a lot to learn, and courses to complete.

The couple took over the post office close to Christmas, which is hands down the busiest time of year for any post office.

“The postmaster wasn't very pleased when we came, because he had to teach us at the same time as handling the Christmas post,” he laughed.

Over the years, the couple find Christmas still is the busiest time of the year, but for evolving reasons. One of the biggest changes they have witnessed in the postal sector is the big drop off in mail letters, and increase in parcels.

“It's a different kettle of fish now, because everything's eBay, and that’s more common in Ivanhoe now more than ever because we haven't got any shops,” Jan said. “Once, people could shop at the supermarket, the other cafe and Wendy’s, and, you know, different ones over time.

“But now there's nothing else here which makes it awfully hard for people.

“Christmas will still be busy, but all in all there are a lot of parcels at any time of the year.

“So much business is lost in Ivanhoe, there is a call for so much here, someone could be operating businesses here to meet the need, instead of the many parcels we get through here every week.” “We didn't have any of this computerisation when we came in here.

“Money orders have more or less priced themselves out. We hardly sell any money orders now.

And cheques are gradually phasing out.”

They initially found it a difficult transition when the postal systems went from completely handwritten to computerised, but have learnt how to operate and navigate the systems.

“It’s funny though, they only just upgraded this system once we got used to the old system,” he said.

“Someone from Australia Post came down, set it all up and showed us how to use it.”

They say having things computerised does make it easier, once they understand how it works.

The supermarket was sorely missed in Ivanhoe when it closed.

They credit Wendy Aves as being such a big part of the town and keeping it running, and people can buy many things at her store. But largely, people have to travel out of town and long distances to get anything they need. “It just makes life hard when say you break your shoes or something you can’t immediately replace,” they said.

When asked if there were any significant local happenings they have propelled or been a part of, they instantly come back with the Claypan Boogie.

What is the Claypan Boogie you may ask?

The Outback Claypan Boogie was held in Ivanhoe on Saturday October 12, 2002 as a fundraising effort for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

It was a fantastic community event, with live musical entertainment, catered three course meal, and the opportunity to come together as a community.

You can read more about the Claypan Boogie in a Blast from the Past in the near future.

“Jenny Farrar did everything for the event, she had a lot of connections in Adelaide which helped tremendously,” Ray recalled.

“Oh, buses come from everywhere.

“We had a big marquee, and we had tables and chairs with serviettes.

Every chair had a great big bow.

“And it was a three-course meal, soup and sweets.

A catering crew cooked the meal, and all the roasts.

“That was Jenny's job, and she did it really well.” Ray was president of the Ivanhoe Services Club for many years, and the couple were awarded Life Membership. Their great granddaughter, Rilie McMaster works at Wendy Aves’ store, helping out.

One of their daughters works at the hospital, and has for many years now.

They have grandchildren who have established themselves in Wagga, purchased homes and made great careers for themselves.

They are immensely proud of all their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Rilie’s mother, Tammy is also indispensable and a great treasure to the couple.

“We are really lucky, we personally don't do without some things, but a lot of people in the area haven't got cars or a vehicle to transport them.

“They're doing it hard I would imagine.” The couple are very appreciative of nearby resources they and the town have to source items for residents in the town, such as Hay’s supermarkets, the taxi truck service, amongst others.

The bus which operates throughout the region is very useful. Jan noted she has travelled on the bus a couple of times when she has needed to see the doctor.

“For $20 or so to get somewhere, is good for a lot of people here without their own transport, and that is a lot less than what you would pay in fuel to get yourself somewhere,” she said.

The couple plan on selling their post office, and enjoy retirement in the house they own next door to the post office.

After renovating the house to their satisfaction, particularly the kitchen and bathroom, they will be happy.

Ray and Jan Longfellow are the heart and soul of a place like Ivanhoe.

Modest, unassuming and friendly, it was a pleasure to hear their story, and know a beautiful community event such as the Claypan Boogie had such a positive impact on so many, and is a fond memory decades later.