Gerry is shortlisted for top postie award

Gerry Magennis, who is employed at the Northern Ireland Mail Centre in Mallusk, was recently announced as the Northern Ireland winner in the Bravery category of the ‘1st Class People Awards’. He now goes forward to the national finals, with the chance to win the title of Royal Mail ‘Postman of the Year’.

Gerry was nominated for the award after putting his life on the line during an attempted armed robbery at a Post Office branch.

He reacted coolly to the situation and deflected attention from the female employees towards himself, allowing them to drop behind the counter and activate the alarms. On hearing the alarm the robbers fled from the scene empty-handed and were later apprehended by the police nearby.

Gerry will be one of three finalists representing Northern Ireland at the national finals of the competition in London on May 24.

Each of the finalists will receive a cheque for 500 and a certificate. The overall ‘Postman of the Year’ winner will pick up a further 3,000 for a holiday and spending money.