09 January 2008
 

Australia Post has started the search for three posties to represent the corporation at this year’s Beijing Olympic Games. 
 
The roles involve sorting and delivering mail for Australian athletes in the official Olympic village and is part of Australia Post’s overall sponsorship of the Australian Olympic team.
 
In a separate deal, the corporation sponsors the Boomers basketball team that qualified for the Olympics late last year.
 
Mr Terry Hearity, National Sponsorship Manager for Australia Post, said the corporation first introduced the program at the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992.
 
“In that first year, our posties sorted and delivered about 50,000 letters. At the last Olympics in Athens in 2004, volumes had grown to around 250,000 letters and cards,” he said.
 
“A lot of the mail is generated by our LetterLink program which encourages children and young people from primary, secondary and special schools  to write letters of encouragement to our athletes. We then provide a postcard for team members so that they can acknowledge the letters they receive.”
 
Mr Hearity said that the competition is open to all of Australia Post’s 35,000 staff – not just existing posities.
 
“It’s a rigorous judging process that involves a written application, interviews at a State and Territory level; and then a final set of interviews at Post’s headquarters in Melbourne. The three posties we select are effectively ambassadors for the entire organisation. Once the people are selected, we run them through a special training program so that they can handle the job once they arrive in Beijing,” he said.
 
Entries close on February 8, 2008. The official launch of the LetterLink program will take place in July this year when special letter writing kits will be delivered to 10,000 schools around Australia.

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Media enquiries:  
 
Don Elgin, Australia Post (03) 9204 5362 

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