If the heads of government departments faced losing their home and going bankrupt – like mere mortals who own their own businesses do – maybe things would be different.

This is the very point suggested by Peter White in drawing our attention in the time it takes for a letter to cover a few blocks. Mr White is a well respected local citizen and a very seasoned businessman.

Imagine how long his business would have lasted if he took two or three days to deliver a coffee table or a lounge suite to a client?

All too often businesses of all shades – both private and public – solve problems by selling assets, sacking staff or trying to charge more for a service customers are leaving for more efficient and quicker alternatives.

Australia Post’s recent decision to increase its basic letter rate by a staggering 30 per cent would be the coup de grace for most businesses.

As someone who has been self-employed since the age of 25, I have had to reinvent my business several times over to meet changes in the market and keep up to date with the needs of my clients. Sometimes that requires thinking outside the square.

Maybe Australia Post could solve its financial woes by tapping in on the success of other companies operating in the Australian market. The one asset that is unique to Australia Post is that its services reach almost every square metre of our big brown land.

Its ability to reach virtually every person in the country that has a pulse, is an advertiser’s dream. Over the years our stamps have provided images of our landscapes, sporting achievements, fauna, flora and everything in between.

Just five minutes on Google will yield a list of Australia’s top 500 companies – many are monoliths to whom a $1 million spent on adverting would be lunch money.

Australia Post could approach these companies with the offer of printing “XYZ” number of postage stamps in return for $1 million bucks. The stamps could carry the company’s logo or promote special offers.

The possibilities are endless. There are also millions of stamp collectors out there who buy special issues as sets or in colourful information packs. Now, as well as a stamp featuring the “hump backed guppy fish,” you can get a series of stamps featuring, say, BHP along with a folder explaining the rise and rise of the “great Australian.” Surely this is a vehicle to develop brand loyalty that would fit in with our “Buy Australia” program.

If only half of Australia’s big companies took up the deal, that's a lazy $200 million in the Australia Post’s coffers without having to reinvent the wheel. Just a thought from “left field.”

Thank you to the kind person who found a lost tiger toy in one of the rides at West End Plaza on Tuesday and placed it on top of the ride. 

This successful tiger rescue mission has led to a very happy little boy who has learnt an important lesson. 

Sometimes we need a reminder of how lucky we are to live in the North East.  

I heard the news that Ben Dean had gone missing in the Beechworth area and as the weather turned nasty and the hours ticked away, I wondered if the outcome was going to be a positive one. And then came the news that he had been found safe and well.

The response by the public to assist was amazing and heart-warming.

A timely reminder that you don't have to wear a cape and your undies over your pants to be a true hero.