News
22 November, 2023
Kilcoy’s red letter day
A recent change in ownership at the Kilcoy Post Office has resulted in a dream come true for the new postmaster, Corey Worgan.
Corey bought the building back in 2011 and had a long-term plan to buy the business, while he has carved out a career elsewhere.
With Corey as the director of WGN Investments Pty Ltd, a number of familiar faces remain at the Kilcoy Post Office, after previous licensee Anna Tones opted to move on, following nearly 20 years in the role.
Having been born at Kilcoy Hospital and then attended kindergarten, pre-school, primary school and high school in Kilcoy, Corey said he had dreamed of being a postmaster since year 5.
“I remember Mr Morris asking us what we wanted to be when we grew up, and we had to share our ideas with the whole class,” Corey recalled.
“The first local businessman that I thought I wanted to be like was Bob Lapthorn. I wanted to be just like Bob, and still do.
“Bob was a great postmaster and is a great man. He probably doesn’t know this but he will now!”
Corey’s first job was at Kilcoy 4 Square (now Peries IGA), before he had a stint at Kilcoy Pastoral Company (now Kilcoy Global Foods).
He has worked in the television industry in the 20-odd years since then, including at BBC in the United Kingdom, as well as the Seven, Ten, and Nine networks in Australia.
Currently he works as the Head of People and Culture in Sydney, with Channel Nine. Amid his time in the television industry, Corey never forgot his dream from year 5, nor did he lose interest in contributing to his hometown.
“I feel good about investing in my hometown in times where there has been a lot of uncertainty for small business in rural areas,” he said.
Corey described Australia Post as “the heartbeat of any community”, while he voiced his concern about bank closures around the country and the impact this has had on people.
“It’s important that Kilcoy has the services it needs to function independently without the need to commute to the city,” he said.
“Australia Post these days is more than just a place to post letters and parcels and continues to grow over time.
“I want to make sure the Kilcoy community has the same service offerings as you’d expect in a city Post Office.
“I also want to work with local community groups to ensure we’re giving back to the community.
“Australia Post also has an invested interest in our local community too, so this partnership will work perfectly.”
Corey said plans included building on the financial services and bringing new gift ware, while he would also like to work on a traineeship in the future to help build a pathway for local school leavers.
“When you come from a strong community like Kilcoy, it’s hard to not want to invest in your hometown to make sure the community is taken care of as it took care of you when you were a child,” he said.
