Brunner post office remains community cornerstone after 45 years

Brunner postmaster Mariette Frijters is pictured with her grandchildren, Wyatt and Willow Westman-Frijters, who enjoy visiting their grandmother at the post office she has managed for 45 years. Wyatt and Willow also help their mother, Heather, with rural mail delivery in the Brunner area. Gary West photo

By Gary West

The Brunner post office has long been an important part of Mornington Township and the wider Perth East community, thanks largely to the dedication of longtime postmaster Mariette Frijters.

If there were ever an award for outstanding postal service in Ontario, many residents say Frijters would be at the top of the list. As February draws to a close, she marks 45 years managing the busy Brunner Post Office south of Milverton. Known for her courteous, old-fashioned approach to customer service, Frijters continues to greet everyone by name, a quality residents say is increasingly rare.

Like in days gone by, Frijters’ home is located alongside the post office, allowing her to remain closely connected to the work she enjoys so much. She says she has no plans to retire, noting the job keeps her busy and gives her something to look forward to each day.

“It keeps me active and gives me a reason to get up in the morning,” she said.

Over the past four months, the Brunner post office has also become a small hub for local news. Since beginning to receive the Wilmot-Tavistock Gazette, Stratford Times and St. Marys Independent, Frijters says she enjoys keeping up with what’s happening across the region and sharing that news with customers as she hands out the free weekly papers.

Family is never far from Frijters’ workday. Her grandchildren, Wyatt and Willow Westman-Frijters, are frequent visitors and recently stopped by with flowers, something she treasures just as much as her role as postmaster. The pair also help their mother, Heather, deliver rural mail in the Brunner area, a job she has held for the past 17 years.

For many in the community, Frijters’ long service and personal touch have made the Brunner post office far more than just a place to pick up mail.

The Brunner post office was part of the Brunner Plazette Grocery store until 1998.

Frijters’ husband, Francicus, passed away in 1986. They had two children, Peter and Eddie. Peter was born in their home country of Belgium, while Eddie was born in Canada. They immigrated 55 years ago.

Before settling in Brunner, the Frijters family spent some time in Acton and Dundalk.