Torquay unites over postman's Christmas decorations Published duration 14 December 2016

image copyright Phil Brancatisano image caption Cam McFarlane has put Christmas decorations on his motorbike for years

Residents of a tight-knit Australian town have begun a letterbox protest after their beloved postman was told to remove Christmas decorations from his motorbike.

Cam McFarlane has adorned his bike with elaborate festive cheer for years in the town of Torquay in Victoria.

But this year his employer, Australia Post, told him to scale back his decorations on safety grounds.

Locals angered by the move have begun wrapping their letterboxes in tinsel.

"To everyone who supports Cam in his endeavours to make our world a happier place... may I suggest that we wrap our letterboxes in some tinsel to show Australia Post that the people of Torquay love and support Postie Cam," David John Morgan wrote on Tuesday.

He made the appeal on a Facebook page called "Cam the Postie brings so much more than just the mail", which has been inundated since it was set up on Saturday.

Passionate about their postie

Australia Post said although it encouraged staff to celebrate Christmas, it wanted to ensure Mr McFarlane's decorations did not "obstruct his vision or pose any risk of becoming tangled in the bike".

He was not banned from having decorations, but instead asked to "tone down" his efforts, a spokeswoman said.

Many Torquay residents voiced their disapproval, with various comments calling the decorations "completely harmless fun", "a local treasure" and "the highlight of our neighbourhood".

image copyright David John Morgan image caption Torquay residents are decorating their letterboxes in protest

"Each year my kids look forward to seeing the decorated bike," wrote one former local, Anna Shaw.

Sandy Moresi said the post delivery had become "drab" and boring. "Cam's smile was missing. No decorations. Australia Post you have shot yourselves in the foot big time."

Another person suggested Australia Post should be called "Australia Grinch".

'Absolutely shattered'

Local business owner Phil Brancatisano said Mr McFarlane was loved for his work in the "tight-knit" community, which included coaching cyclists and mentoring young people.

"If Cam goes down the street, it would probably take him about two hours to buy milk because everybody wants to talk to him," he told the BBC.

"It's a bit more than dressing up as Santa. It's more like an involvement in people's everyday lives. Everyone in town is just absolutely shattered."

Mr Morgan said: "For some of the elderly residents of Torquay, Postie Cam may be the only person that they see all day and if he can make them smile that is just as important as the bills they are having delivered."

Mr McFarlane did not reply to a request for comment.