Impassioned Huntly residents are hoping third time's the charm as they vote again on the introduction of street-side mail delivery service.
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From Saturday, August 12 until September 11, residents can vote through hand-delivered ballot forms or at the Huntly Post Office.
According to the Australia Post, the mail poll in Huntly follows continued population growth in the area, with more than 1200 homes in the area compared to just over 600 six years ago.
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It's the third mail poll since 2017 at Huntly, with both previous votes resulting in a majority "no change" response.
But resident Lisa Abbott, who moved to Huntly in 2020, believes this time things will be different.
"We are making a lot of noise," she said.
"Facebook has been fantastic to get the community together, we've got over 600 members on [our group] now, and the majority voice at the moment is we want change."
Ms Abbott said the process this year was different to previous votes, where if you weren't home and didn't receive a ballot, your vote was counted as a no.
She said this year's process would result in an "honest vote" which would be accepted either way.
"If it's no, then vote no, that's okay," she said.
"It's an honest vote then, because in the past we don't know what the honest vote was. The honest vote will be getting a hundred percent of votes back and knowing for sure, what does the community want."
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An Australia Post spokesperson said they strongly urged all residents to vote.
"We strongly encourage Huntly locals to take part in the mail poll to make sure their preference for mail delivery is taken into account," the spokesperson said.
"Locals can also support the poll by talking to their friends and neighbours and reminding them to return their ballot forms ahead of the 11 September closing date."
Ms Abbott said there had been some push-back from residents who said they used the post office for community engagement.
She said an alternative would be the newly formed Huntly Community Hub.
"If you are using the Australia Post service for community engagement and to keep in touch with people, get in touch with the community hub and they will help you, and let Australia Post deliver the mail to everybody else," Ms Abbott said.
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Jonathon Magrath
Jonathon has been living and working in Bendigo since March 2021, currently working as a general reporter. Contact him on jonathon.magrath@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Jonathon has been living and working in Bendigo since March 2021, currently working as a general reporter. Contact him on jonathon.magrath@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
