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POST OFFICE

Early Mail Service c1904-1913

In 1904 the mail was delivered to Clear Hills and collected by Arthur Allardyce once a fortnight.
The mailman riding one horse and leading another would leave Albany on Monday morning, to follow a route through the Porongorups, (sic), Chester Pass Wooleganup, Sandalwood, Mongup, Glengarry, Clear Hills, Pallinup and then Broomehill and return to Albany’.
"The following week the mailman returning along the same route’. (Fruit of the Country Chapter 13).
When Arthur first arrived in Gnowangerup, the mail service was not operated through a local Post Office: “The mail route was called the “Salt River Mail”, and passed through Woodiarrup, Pallinup, Clear Hills, Tambellup, Strathaven, Magitup, Mongup, Woolaganup, on to Sandalwood then returning to Broomehill.
 This mail was carried by a wagonette drawn by two, occasionally three horses, taking about three days to complete the round trip. The nearest Post Office was Clear Hills – about 6 miles away in a straight direction from Gnowangerup”. (There were no fences then).
This property was then owned by Uriah Herbert senior. Once a fortnight – on a Sunday - Arthur Allardyce would ride there to collect the mail.
A couple of years later Allardyce requested that the mail route be changed to include the new town of Gnowangerup. The mail then went via Woodyarrup, Pallinup, Martinup, Telyarup, Gnowangerup then on to Sandalwood as before. (A Allardyce, History of the Gnowangerup District)

 

1915 MAP SHOWING SITE OF
FIRST GNOWANGERUP POST OFFICE   1924                  #1
 

VERY EARLY POSTAGE STAMP POST STAMPED GNOWANGERUP 1912                  #2
 

It was erected in 1910 situated on the comer of Yougenup and Allardyce Streets, with the store alongside and the bulk shed immediately at the rear, by Mr. Green of Albany, for Messrs Richardson & Co. of Katanning being the first store opened in Gnowangerup and with Mr. J .G. Rowe the Manager and Allan Grover as his assistant.

 

THE NATIONAL BANK OF AUSTRALASIA  1910             #3
 

EVA & BERT BROOM WITH JOHN & MATILDA CALDOW  c1913-1916            #4
 

This little comer building was first let to the National Bank who used it as a temporary Banking premises until some time in 1911 or 12 when they erected their own building on the opposite comer of AIlardyce Street and, of course, vacated it. When vacated by the National Bank it was soon occupied by Vincent Bros., the contractors for the construction of the railway from Tambellup to Gnowangerup and Ongerup, the secretary being a Mr. Russell and the engineer for construction - Mr. Hargraves . Very soon after these people completed their work of constructing the railway of course they vacated it. But it was not allowed to remain untenanted very long as the Postal Authorities took it on lease and established an Official Post Office in it with Mr. Broom its first postmaster and George Lee as his assistant.

Prior to this all mail was handled by the Store which surely gave Mr. Rowe and his staff much extra work and

responsibility. This period was before the advent of motor cars and many of us either rode a horse or drove in a buggy or sulky to get our mail and used to tie our horses to one of the many trees growing close by, leaving them while we attended to our mail. Many a time I used to feel so sorry for A. Broom and George Lee busily engaged with mail sorting on hot summer days as this little building was then a veritable "hot box". Often it was much cooler and pleasanter outside even while reading and enjoying (?) our penny stamp-open letters containing such interesting items as Bills, without exception, always contain! The business of the Post Office was carried on in this comer building until 1918 when it was moved up the street to the then newly-erected Post Office.
During the concluding months of the 1914-1918 war this building was doing duty for a time as a meeting place for the repatriation committee. Then "Millionaire" Johnston used it as his office for a time. On Mr Rowe's return from the war he used it as an Agency office for a period. On vacating it it was used for a term by some dress.-makers, afterwards by a saddler and now by a boot-maker.

 

JACK HARRIS:
The mailman for the isolated settlers north of Albany many years was Jack Harris. “The mail came once a week on the old Beejenup Road from Broomehill to Gnowangerup and back the same way. Some used it for getting stores and bread; otherwise they made their own bread or damper”. (Reg Gillespie, Gnowangerup Star 1990)
"During this period when Frank O'Meehan was returning from Perth, he met a Mr German on the train who informed him that he was on his way to Borden to discuss with the settlers the likelihood of obtaining telephone communication.
This of course was badly needed by O’Meehan to keep him in touch with stock prices and his Perth affairs. Before the train reached Gnowangerup Frank promised German that rather than have the whole project fail because there was no suitable building to house the exchange that he would meet the cost of erecting a post office at the Borden siding.

 

 JACK HARRIS ON THE MAIL RUN     1912c             #5
 

MAIL DAY AT  ONGERUP 1912              #6
 

MAIL DAY AT  ONGERUP 1912              #7
 

By 1923 a small residence with a front room reserved for post office affairs stood at the siding with Maud Harris, daughter of the perennial mailman, Jack Harris, in charge.
Her parents lived with her and Jack drove his two-horse, heavy-sprung buggy on a weekly mail run. He was then about sixty-four years and about twenty stone and despite the heavy springs the buggy had developed a perpetual list to the side of the weighty driver.
In the early days the mail was collected from the Broomehill station and brought back to Gnowangerup by a number of different men over the years: Charlis Smith, Cliff Ward (Formerly Buggins), Bill Hibbert, Settler Moir and later Jack and Charlie Burridge, Vaughan Greenslade and Fred Wolfe.

The mail run to Jackitup was done by Mary Jones and her daughter. The Borden run was done by Jack Harris, followed by his daughter and later by Bert Davis.
 

PLOWING MAIN STREET IN FRONT OF GNOWANGERUP POST OFFICE   1924                  #8
 

 GNOWANGERUP POST OFFICE   1950s                  #9
EXPANDING THE TELEPHONE EXCHANGE SECTION
 

 GNOWANGERUP POST OFFICE   1951                  #10
 

GNOWANGERUP POST OFFICE   1952                 #11
 

GNOWANGERUP POST OFFICE   1950s                  #12

 

GNOWANGERUP POST OFFICE   2006                  #13
 

 GNOWANGERUP POST OFFICE   2006                  #14
 

GNOWANGERUP POST OFFICE   2017                  #15
 

 

 
 

GNOWANGERUP POST OFFICE   2018                  #16
 

Soon the settlers to the west of the Pallinup River had a telephone service and Woolaganup was the exchange for the eastern settlers, but for many years O'Meehan was the only subscriber.
Prior to the building of the post office by Bert Mugg, a railway goods shed had been completed and sometimes meetings were held there….”
.......”Old Jack decided it was his duty to instruct 'the little Pommie kid' into the secrets of the Australian bush.
Nine-year-old Jack Trappitt therefore rode on the swaying buggy once a week with Harris as he made his mail delivery. Two nights were spent camped under the stars and three long days passed in opening gates, calling at Moana, Chillinup, Warrangup, Magitup and Shooter's Hill and others; and listening to Jack Harris's explicit commentary on the weather signs, the vegetation, birds, animals and anything else that Jack Harris considered all true Australians should know.
It was the sharp-eyed Harris who first saw the large she-oak stump that was to become Harry Trappitt's invaluable wheel block; the hub of the wheels fitted snugly into the hollowed centre”. Merle Bignell
Another example of mail delivery in the 1930’s was of Mary Jones and her daughter Gwen, they “used to deliver the mail from Gnowangerup to outlying districts, Jackitup included. She travelled by buggy and pair in all weathers.” (Pearl Marshall, Gnowangerup My Town)

TAMBELLUP MAIL RUN

Written by Lorna Burridge in 1984:
 

“The mail run also came from Tambellup to Gnowangerup via Lake Toolbrunup and travelled past each Wednesday.
Initially it was Mr Andy Bye, who was followed by Cliff and Mary Potter, who did the run for many years.
Later it was taken over by Roy Saggers, who also stayed in the job for a long while to be taken over by Gordon Pollard who also remained for many years, til his retirement.
We always had the utmost help and cooperation from all the mail carriers, and I was most grateful on one occasion many many years later, when Gordon delivered to the house some prescription medication from the Gnowangerup chemist, which meant a special trip out from town, as the return mail trip was via Lake Toolbrunup.
The mail run is now handled by Floss and Clive Gibson, and I'm sure the same excellent service prevails.”
 

Every endeavour has been made to accurately record the details however if you would like to provide additional images and/or newer information we are pleased to update the details on this site. Please use CONTACT at the top of this page to email us. We appreciate your involvement in recording the history of our area.

 

References:                 Article:      "Early Days in Gnowangerup" by Arthur Allardyce
                                                 "Gnowngerup The Town My Story" by Pearl Marshall

                                  Image:     2   Gordon Freegard Collection

 


Copyright : Gordon Freegard 2023