Being a telephonist was one of the most coveted jobs in Port Fairy and the females in the privileged role were sworn to secrecy.
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Even years later as former post office employees celebrated 40 years since the closure of the Port Fairy exchange, former telephonist Mary Gibb wouldn’t divulge anything she had heard all those years ago.
“We chat among ourselves and have a giggle but we don’t tell anyone else. There’s people who are still living here,” she said.
The former post office workers and telephonists gathered for a reunion at Charlie’s on East in Port Fairy on Saturday.
“It’s 40 years since the telephone exchange shut down and we’ve been meeting every year since, bar a couple. There’s still a few of us left. It was very interesting but we were sworn to secrecy.”
Mrs Gibb was 17 when the then postmaster knocked on her parents’ door asking if she would like to work as a telephonist.
“Dear, oh dear, it was exciting. We didn’t even have a telephone,” she recalled.
Three women would operate the switchboard from 7.30am to 10pm and “then the night boys would come in”.
Mrs Gibb said although she no longer worked at the exchange, she was sad when it closed on February 8, 1970.