Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

"CANADA POST" WATER BOTTLE

Date Range From

2002

Date Range To

2023

Materials

PLASTIC

No. Pieces

2

Height

25.5

Diameter

8.1

Description

A. WHITE SQUEEZE-STYLE WATER BOTTLE, BLUE AND RED DESIGN ON SIDE OF BOTTLE READS, “CANADA POST POSTES CANADA,” CANADA POST LOGO IN MIDDLE OF TEXT. “MADE IN USA” AND “2 HOPE” EMBOSSED ON BOTTOM OF BOTTLE. BOTTLE HAS DIRT PRESENT THROUGHOUT OUTSIDE OF BOTTLE, PRINTED DESIGN HAS VERY SLIGHT INK SPECKS MISSING, RED STAIN AROUND BOTTLE OPENING FROM LID, SPECKS OF DIRT ON INSIDE OF BOTTLE, AND A SMALL DENT ON BOTTOM EDGE OF BOTTLE. OVERALL EXCELLENT CONDITION. 22.5CM HGT X 8.1CM DIA B. RED PUSH/PULL-STYLE LID. “C2” EMBOSSED ON INSIDE OF LID. NOZZLE IS OPEN, DUST PRESENT THROUGHOUT LID, STRAW MOUTHPIECE IS WORN AND ROUGH ALONG EDGES. OVERALL EXCELLENT CONDITION. 5.0CM HGT X 7.9CM DIA

Subjects

CONTAINER

Historical Association

BUSINESS

PROFESSIONS

History

ON AUGUST 1, 2023, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN, KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED DONNA KROEGER ABOUT HER DONATION OF VARIOUS OBJECTS FROM HER CAREER AS A CANADA POST LETTER CARRIER, THESE ITEMS INCLUDED: HER DUAL SATCHEL, STRIPED SHIRT, GREY SHIRT, WIDE BRIM HAT, ID BADGE WITH LANYARD, WIND BREAKER JACKET, AND WATER BOTTLE. AT THE TIME OF THE INTERVIEW, KROEGER RECENTLY RETIRED FROM CANADA POST ON MAY 12, 2023. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS DERIVED FROM THE INTERVIEW WITH KROEGER. KROEGER EXPLAINED HOW SHE RECOGNIZES THE POSTAL OBJECTS: “I USED THESE [ITEMS] FOR ALMOST MY WHOLE CAREER OF 21 YEARS WITH CANADA POST. I STARTED AS A LETTER CARRIER ON JULY 4, (2002). I HAD A BRIEF YEAR AND A HALF DOING INSIDE WORK AND THEN CAME BACK AS A LETTER CARRIER AFTER THAT AND HAVE BEEN ON A SOLID WALKING ROUTE SINCE. I [ALSO] DID DO THREE MONTHS AS A SUPERVISOR, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, I’VE JUST BEEN A LETTER CARRIER…” ON HOW SHE RECEIVED THE DIFFERENT OBJECTS, KROEGER CLARIFIED: “…EVERYTHING, EVERY PIECE OF UNIFORM WAS PROVIDED TO US BY CANADA POST. WE DID GET A BOOT AND GLOVE ALLOWANCE EVERY YEAR, WHICH DIDN’T COME CLOSE… I USUALLY HAD TO AVERAGE EVERY 3-4 MONTHS FOR A NEW PAIR OF SHOES. THEY JUST WORE OUT THAT FAST. (IN WINTER IT WAS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT). I DON’T THINK THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT [CANADA POST] COULD ACTUALLY PROVIDE AS A UNIFORM, ONLY BECAUSE EVERYBODY’S FEET ARE SO DIFFERENT. MOST OF US HAVE GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH A PODIATRIST… I FELT VERY LUCKY. I HAD NO PROBLEMS AT ALL. I COULD JUST WALK.” KROEGER NOTED WHERE THE CANADA POST OBJECTS WERE SOURCED: “…[FROM] A COMPANY CALLED ‘UNICORP’, AND, AS FAR AS I KNOW, [CANADA POST HAS] BEEN USING THEM SINCE I STARTED. THAT’S ALL I KNOW. THEY MADE EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE…” KROEGER EXPLAINED HOW SHE WOULD CARRY THE WATER BOTTLE ON HER ROUTE: “…[THE WATER BOTTLE] FIT IN ONE OF THESE POCKETS [IN THE DUAL SATCHEL], AND, ON DAYS LIKE TODAY (I THINK IT’S SUPPOSED TO GET TO 36), I WOULD BRING EXTRA BOTTLES. EVERYBODY [ON MY ROUTE] WAS ALWAYS REALLY GOOD, I DIDN’T EVEN HAVE TO ASK, [AND] PEOPLE WOULD COME, AND THEY’D HAND ME BOTTLES OF WATER. IF THERE WAS NO ONE AROUND, NO ONE MINDED IF YOU USED THEIR HOSE, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT…” WHEN ASKED IF JUST BASED ON TEMPERATURE, SHE WOULD KNOW HOW MUCH WATER SHE SHOULD BE DRINKING THAT DAY, KROEGER REPLIED: “YES. OH, YES.” ON IF SHE EVER GOT CAUGHT OFF-GUARD ON A HOT DAY AND DIDN’T DRINK ENOUGH WATER, KROEGER RESPONDED: “NO, I WAS PRETTY GOOD. THE OTHER THING ABOUT MY ROUTE, AND I FELT REALLY FORTUNATE ABOUT, IT WAS IN THE OLDER AREA, AND SO THE TREES WERE LARGE. YOU’D HAVE NO IDEA THE DIFFERENCE THAT SHADE MAKES… BIG DIFFERENCE! AND, [FOR] ALMOST MY WHOLE ROUTE, THERE WERE MAYBE THREE OR FOUR BLOCKS WHERE I HAD TO GO WITHOUT SHADE… AND THAT HELPED IN WINTER, AS WELL. IT WAS AMAZING!” KROEGER ELABORATED ON DRINKING WATER ON THE WALKING ROUTES: “…WE [POSTAL WORKERS] DRANK GALLONS OF WATER, OR, IF YOU DIDN’T, YOU SHOULD. THAT WAS SOMETIMES A PROBLEM FOR SOME ROUTES, BECAUSE IF IT’S A RESIDENTIAL ROUTE, THERE AREN’T PLACES NECESSARILY TO… GO TO THE BATHROOM… I WAS BLESSED WITH A GOOD BLADDER… BUT ALSO MY ROUTE HAD SEVERAL BUSINESSES THAT WERE VERY KIND… THEY HAD PUBLIC WASHROOMS, AND SOME PEOPLE, EVEN IF IT WAS A RESIDENTIAL AREA, THEY WOULD HAVE A SCHOOL, OR A CONVENIENCE STORE, OR SOMETHING NEARBY. BUT A LOT OF [THE WALKING ROUTES], THAT IS A BIG PROBLEM. AND SO, SOME [WORKERS], I THINK, GOT DEHYDRATED JUST BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T WANT TO HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM.” ON REPLACING HER UNIFORM ITEMS, KROEGER ELABORATED: “…AFTER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME [WORKING], YOU GET A CERTAIN NUMBER OF POINTS… EVERY SHIRT IS WORTH (I CAN’T REMEMBER HOW MANY POINTS), AND SO, IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH POINTS, AND YOU NEED MORE SHIRTS, YOU JUST ORDER MORE. JACKETS, AND PARKAS WERE MORE POINTS, OF COURSE…” WHEN ASKED HOW SHE GOT STARTED WITH CANADA POST, KROEGER EXPLAINED: “I GOT HIRED IN GRANDE PRAIRIE (ALBERTA)… RIGHT NOW, THE ONLY WAY TO GET HIRED IS THAT YOU HAVE TO APPLY ONLINE. [BUT] I STILL FILLED OUT A PAPER APPLICATION; I HAD AN INTERVIEW. THEY SAID, ‘WELL, WE’LL SEE’… I DID ALL THEIR TESTS THERE, BECAUSE WE HAD TO DO A TEST FOR HOW MUCH WEIGHT WE COULD CARRY… WE HAD TO DO A TEST TO MAKE SURE WE WEREN’T DYSLEXIC, TO GET ADDRESSES MIXED-UP OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. I DID ALL THE TESTS. I PASSED ALL THAT, BUT I DIDN’T HEAR ANYTHING [BACK]. AND THEN, I KNEW THE LADY WHO WAS DELIVERING [MAIL] TO OUR HOUSE, AND SHE SAID, ‘GO DOWN THERE. THEY NEED SOMEBODY.’ SO, I WENT, I WALKED IN AND GOT HIRED. I WAS STARTING A ROUTE THE NEXT DAY.” KROEGER ADDED: “[EVENTUALLY] MY HUSBAND TRANSFERRED HERE (TO LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA), AND THEN IT TOOK A LITTLE WHILE TO GET ON HERE. I PUT IN A TRANSFER [TO CANADA POST], AND THEN I GOT CALLED, AND CAME BACK [TO LETHBRIDGE, AB] (IN 2007).” ON WHAT THE AVERAGE WORKDAY LOOKED WHEN SHE WAS WORKING IN LETHBRIDGE, KROEGER RECALLED: “…OUR DAY STARTED AT 8:00 IN THE MORNING. WE’D HAVE TO SORT OUR OWN ROUTE. (IT’S DIFFERENT NOW THAN WHEN I STARTED). A LOT OF THE ACTUAL LETTER MAIL, WHICH IS JUST REGULAR-SIZED ENVELOPES AND THINGS, IT GETS PRE-SORTED NOW IN CALGARY. IT ALL GETS SORTED TO OUR ROUTE, IN THE ORDER THAT WE’RE SUPPOSED TO DELIVER IT IN, AND THEN EVERYTHING ELSE, LIKE MAGAZINES, OR OVER-SIZE [MAIL]… EVERYTHING LIKE THAT GOT SORTED IN MANUALLY… WE GOT [THE MAIL] TOGETHER IN THE ORDER THAT WE WERE GOING TO DELIVER IT… BUT THE BIG THING WAS TO MAKE SURE YOU WERE ORGANIZED BEFORE YOU WENT OUT, BECAUSE OTHERWISE YOUR DAY WAS A MESS.” KROEGER BROKE DOWN THE HOURS IN AN AVERAGE WORKDAY: “OF DELIVERING [MAIL], IT WAS ANYWHERE BETWEEN FOUR, AND SIX [HOURS] TYPICALLY FOR ME, AND USUALLY ONE AND A HALF, TO TWO HOURS OF SORTING… WHEN WE WERE FINISHED, THEN WE DID OUR FLYERS TO GET PREPARED FOR THE NEXT DAY, WHICH COULD TAKE AN HOUR AS WELL, DEPENDING ON HOW MANY FLYERS YOU HAD...” ON WHAT THE AVERAGE WORKDAY LOOKED LIKE, KROEGER CONTINUED: “…WE GOT OUT ON THE STREET ANYWHERE BETWEEN 9:00 AND 10:30, DEPENDING ON HOW YOUR DAY WAS GOING… THE ROUTE THAT I HAD WAS PARTIALLY BUSINESSES, SO I WOULD DO MY BUSINESSES FIRST. THAT WAS THE RULE WHEN I STARTED, WAS THAT BUSINESSES ALWAYS HAD THE PRIORITY. (I BELIEVE THAT’S CHANGED NOW)… THEN I WOULD DO MY RESIDENTIAL AREA. I HAD ALSO APARTMENTS, AND EVERYTHING ELSE IN-BETWEEN… I LOVED WHAT I DID. EVERY DAY WAS DIFFERENT, OF COURSE, AND YOU NEVER KNEW WHO YOU WERE GOING TO MEET, AND I MET SOME EXCELLENT, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, AND SOME GOOD, AND BAD DOGS, AND IT WAS EVERY WEATHER CONDITION, EVERY EXTREME… THE ACTUAL TEMPERATURE HAD TO BE -40 BEFORE WE WOULDN’T GO OUT. AND THEY [CANADA POST] ARE NOW TALKING ABOUT HAVING A MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE IN THE SUMMER TO GO OUT, JUST BECAUSE THE HEAT IS A LOT MORE THAN WHAT IT WAS. BUT I WALKED IN 80 KM. AN HOUR WINDS, AND POURING RAIN, AND BLOWING SNOW, AND EVERYTHING IN-BETWEEN… YOU JUST DID IT, AND I BELIEVE I DID IT SAFELY. THE COMPANY ALSO PROVIDED GRIPS IN THE WINTER, TO PUT ON OUR SHOES, AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT. I THINK THAT SAFETY WAS ALWAYS A PRIORITY FOR THEM, WHETHER PEOPLE CHOSE TO DO IT, OR NOT.” ON WHAT HER ROUTE LOOKED LIKE, KROEGER NOTED: “MY ROUTE, AT THE END [OF] MY LAST YEAR, WAS BETWEEN 20 AND 25 KM A DAY, 5 DAYS A WEEK; FOR THE MOST PART THAT WAS GOOD. MY ROUTE WAS RELATIVELY FLAT, BUT I DID HAVE A FEW INCLINES, AND I HAD A LOT OF STAIRS. ONE OF MY APARTMENT BUILDINGS DIDN’T HAVE AN ELEVATOR, SO I HAD TO DO THE STAIRS, AND THEN COME BACK DOWN… AFTER YOU RAN OUT [OF MAIL], THERE WAS ONE OF THOSE GREY BOXES ON THE STREET. THEY ARE CALLED ‘RELAY BOXES.’ WE WOULD STOP AT THOSE; [AND] A BAG OF MAIL GOT DELIVERED TO THERE; WE PICKED IT UP AND CARRIED ON AGAIN.” WHEN ASKED IF THERE IS A CHARACTER TRAIT THAT IS COMMON AMONGST MAIL CARRIERS, KROEGER RESPONDED: “I THINK YOU HAVE TO, FIRST OF ALL, ENJOY THE OUTDOORS. NOT EVERYBODY DOES… SO, TO BE OUTSIDE FOR 4-6 HOURS IN EVERY WEATHER CONDITION, I DON’T THINK EVERYBODY LIKES THAT, AND THAT IT’S INCONSISTENT [WEATHER]. SO SOME DAYS ARE GOING TO BE EXTREMELY HEAVY… [SOME DAYS] IF YOU’RE ON A ROUTE THAT YOU HAVEN’T BEEN ON BEFORE, AND YOU GET CONFUSED, AND FRUSTRATED, AND IT’S GETTING DARK, AND YOU CAN SMELL PEOPLE COOKING DINNER, AND YOU THINK, ‘YEAH, THAT WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE TO BE’… BUT I THINK MOST PEOPLE ARE PRETTY DEDICATED… AND THEY WANT TO DO A GOOD JOB. I THINK YOU [ALSO] HAVE TO LIKE PEOPLE…” KROEGER ADDED: “…I TRAINED [OTHER CARRIERS] FOR PROBABLY 10 OR 12 YEARS… AND I THINK THAT WAS THE ONE THING THAT… MOST OF THEM HAD NO IDEA WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE OUTSIDE FOR THAT LENGTH OF TIME… AND TO DEVELOP A FITNESS LEVEL, BECAUSE THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT IF YOU HAVEN’T BEEN [ACTIVE], AND MOST PEOPLE, EVEN IF YOU ARE FIT, YOU DIDN’T GO FOR A 20KM WALK EVERY DAY. AND SO, IT TAKES A WHILE TO BUILD THAT UP; YOUR FEET, YOUR KNEES, YOUR BACK, AND EVERYTHING ELSE… IT DEPENDED ON HOW WELL YOU HAD TAKEN CARE OF YOURSELF PRIOR TO THAT, AS WELL… AND SOME PEOPLE, YOUR WHOLE GENETIC MAKEUP ISN’T MADE FOR THAT… YOUR JOINTS JUST DON’T WORK THAT WAY. SO, I THINK IF YOU WERE SOMEWHAT ATHLETIC, (WHICH I WOULD NEVER CONSIDER MYSELF AN ATHLETE)… [BUT] THEY CAN TOLERATE IT PRETTY WELL.” WHEN ASKED, DUE TO THE PHYSICAL TOLL OF THE JOB, HOW DOES THAT MAKE WORKERS FEEL, KROEGER COMMENTED: “…I THINK THAT’S DIFFERENT FOR EVERYBODY, TOO. IT’S NOT JUST WORK. I THINK YOU HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AFTER WORK AS WELL… STAYING HYDRATED WHILE YOU’RE OUT THERE…” KROEGER COMMENTED: “A LOT OF [COLLEAGUES] ARE APPROACHING THEIR 30TH YEAR, AND TO GET YOUR MAXIMUM YEARS IN [SERVICE], IT’S 30 YEARS… BECAUSE I DIDN’T START UNTIL I WAS IN MY 40’S… I DIDN’T THINK I FELT LIKE WORKING ANOTHER 9 YEARS, SO I LEFT…” ON HER REASON FOR RETIRING, KROEGER STATED: “…I HAD NO INTENTION OF RETIRING. WELL, NOT THAT I DIDN’T HAVE ANY INTENTION, YES, I DID, BUT I DIDN’T KNOW WHEN. AND IT WAS A REALLY, REALLY TOUGH DECISION. I REALLY, REALLY LOVED WHAT I DO. I REALLY DO LOVE IT, BUT THEN THERE’S THE OTHER PART OF LIFE, TOO… MY HUSBAND HAD BEEN ILL, AND YOU JUST HAVE TO MAKE OTHER DECISIONS. AND IT WAS A VERY QUICK DECISION. WE WERE GOING ON HOLIDAYS, AND I JUST THOUGHT, ‘OH, MAN, I’LL JUST STAY ON HOLIDAYS’.” KROEGER REFLECTED ON WHAT MADE A REALLY GOOD DAY AT WORK: “NO WIND, AND NOT EXTREME TEMPERATURES. THE WIND WAS EXHAUSTING. IT’S EXHAUSTING TO WALK IN THAT [WEATHER] FOR FOUR OR FIVE HOURS. OR ICE… ‘CAUSE YOU KNOW IF YOU FALL, IT COULD BE FOREVER TO HEAL, OR PAINFUL, AND YOU JUST DON’T WANT THAT [TROUBLE] IF YOU DON’T HAVE TO. SO, THOSE [ICY] DAYS, I WOULD TAKE IT EVEN MORE SLOWLY, AND BE MORE CAREFUL, AND THEN BE EVEN MORE STIFF WHEN I GOT HOME, BECAUSE YOU WERE SO TENSE THE WHOLE DAY...” ON HER FAVOURITE MONTHS AT WORK, KROEGER ADDED: “I LOVED DELIVERING THAT HAPPY MAIL AT CHRISTMAS. I JUST LOVED DOING THAT. YOU KNOW YOU MAKE PEOPLE SO HAPPY. THAT PART WAS REALLY GOOD. BUT I DON’T KNOW, THERE WERE PARTS OF EVERY SEASON THAT I JUST LOVE...” KROEGER REFLECTED ON WHAT KEEPS PEOPLE ENGAGED WITH THEIR WORK AT CANADA POST: “I THINK THE PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THE ONES ON WALKING ROUTES. THEY JUST LOVE THEIR ROUTES… THE PEOPLE ARE JUST INCREDIBLE… THEY OFFER US [WORKERS] DRINKS WHEN IT’S HOT, AND WARMTH WHEN IT’S COLD… THEY’VE BEEN SO KIND, AND SO FRIENDLY, AND SO WELCOMING… WE [POSTAL WORKERS] WERE A PART OF THAT COMMUNITY AS WELL. WE KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON. IF THERE WAS SOMETHING GOING ON, WE COULD ALERT SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE…” KROEGER ADDED: “…THAT IS ONE OF THE LOSSES… ‘CAUSE I KNOW THAT THIS WALKING ISN’T GOING TO BE FOREVER. IT WAS TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, TO ELIMINATE THE WALKING ROUTES, AND HAVE COMMUNITY MAILBOXES, BUT I THINK [WALKING ROUTES] IS AN IMPORTANT THING. ON TOP OF THAT TOO THOUGH IS, THE VOLUME OF MAIL IS DROPPING, AND [WALKING ROUTES], IT’S JUST NOT A VIABLE THING ANYMORE. IT CAN’T BE.” ON HOW THE VOLUME OF MAIL HAS CHANGED FROM WHEN SHE STARTED TO WHEN SHE RETIRED, KROEGER CONTEMPLATED: “ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION, EVERYTHING… I DON’T KNOW THE YEAR, BUT THE GOVERNMENT PHASED OUT SENDING CHEQUES TO ANYBODY, WHETHER IT WAS SENIORS, OR ANYONE… AND SOME OF THOSE [DELIVERIES] WERE HUGE CATALOGUES, THOSE JUST AREN’T BEING DELIVERED ANYMORE… I THINK THIS YEAR I PROBABLY DELIVERED… I’M GOING TO SAY 20 MANUAL INCOME TAX FORMS. PEOPLE JUST DON’T DO THAT ANYMORE… EVERYBODY GOES EITHER TO AN ACCOUNTANT, OR THEY DO IT ONLINE THEMSELVES… THEN ALL THE RESULTS OF ANY OF THAT ALL GETS E-MAILED TO THEM, AS WELL. SO, YEAH, THAT WAS THE BIGGEST THING…” FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE CANADA POST WATER BOTTLE, OR TO SEE THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS, PLEASE SEE THE DONATIONS PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20230011007

Acquisition Date

2023-08

Collection

Museum

Less detail