In fact nearly half the mail handled by post offices was sorted in the vans as the express trains steamed through the night.

When Orange had trains you could mail a letter to Sydney at the railway station up to midnight and it would be delivered next morning.

But turn the clock forward to today and what have we got? A terrible service with a dollar to post a letter and up to seven days for it to be delivered, or $1.50 If you want it to arrive in four days.

The Gnoo Blas Classic Car Club was a victim of the snail mail when entries for its car show last weekend were locked up who-knows-where.

One posted in Orange on January 31 to an Orange PO box number arrived 11 days later on February 11. One from Portland posted on February 7 arrived after the car show on February 18. That’s also 11 days later. Another posted in Orange on February 12 arrived on February 18, so our mail service is far from efficient.

Homing pigeons could do a much better job. A pigeon can fly between Portland and Orange in 80 minutes, beating hands down (or wings down) Australia Post’s delivery time of 11 days.

So why is it all so difficult to deliver a bloody letter? It’s called modern technology.

THIS time of the year hundreds of early-riser Orange drivers heading east from around 6.45am or west late afternoon are temporarily blinded each day now the sun is lower in the sky.

And it’s a wonder some of the walkers and bike riders on the road haven’t been skittled, because they’re almost impossible to see, especially when topping the crests in streets like Kite, Summer and Byng when drivers are blinded by the sun’s glaring rays.

Most of them aren’t wearing sunnies to help reduce the glare but still drive like maniacs.

SO-CALLED compliance has become a huge growth industry. You can’t do anything without someone wanting to sue you if you stuff up, so the middle men are right in there making a motza.

Councils once looked after traffic control for roadworks, but now they employ lollipop people so drivers don’t run over a worker patching the road or watering the flowers in a roundabout.

And what about all those fluorescent hi-vis vests workers wear? Soon they’ll become mandatory dress for all of us every time we leave home.

That’s after we get a special public risk insurance policy before we dare go shopping or do business in the CBD. In the supermarket we’ll need to wear a hard hat in case a can of baked beans or tomato soup falls on our head.

To reduce fatigue street seating will need to be provided along with shelters for respite from the weather if it’s hot, cold or wet. Can’t have anyone copping a dose of sunburn or the flu or the matter will end up in court.

So there’s every chance we’ll all become couch potatoes, never confident enough to go outside the front door.

Talk about big brother.