Yass Post Office

About

Yass Post Office is a heritage-listed post office and residence at 101 Comur Street, Yass in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by the Colonial Architect's Office under James Barnet and built by W. Bundock. The property is owned by Australia Post. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 22 December 2000.

The first official postal service in Australia was established in April 1809, when the Sydney merchant Isaac Nichols was appointed as the first postmaster in the colony of New South Wales. Prior to this, mail had been distributed directly by the captain of the ship on which the mail arrived; however this system was neither reliable nor secure.

In 1825 the colonial administration was empowered to establish a Postmaster General 's Department, which had previously been administered from Great Britain.

In 1828 the first post offices outside of Sydney were established, with offices in Bathurst, Campbelltown, Parramatta, Liverpool, Newcastle, Penrith and Windsor. By 1839 there were forty post offices in the colony, with more opened as settlement spread. During the 1860s, the advance of postal services was further increased as the railway network began to be established throughout NSW. In 1863, the postmaster general, William Harvie Christie noted that accommodation facilities for postmasters in some post offices was quite limited, and stated that it was a matter of importance that "post masters should reside and sleep under the same roof as the office".

The first telegraph line was opened in Victoria in March 1854 and in New South Wales in 1858. The New South Wales colonial government constructed two lines from the Sydney General Post Office, one to the South Head Signal Station, the other to Liverpool. Development was slow in New South Wales compared to the other states, with the Government concentrating on the development of country offices before suburban ones. As the line spread, however, telegraph offices were built to accommodate the operators. Unlike the post office, the telegraph office needed specialised equipment and could not be easily accommodated in a local store or private residence. Post and telegraph offices operated separately until 1870 when the departments were amalgamated, after which time new offices were built to include both postal and telegraph services. In 1881 the first telephone exchange was opened in Sydney, three years after the first tests in Adelaide. As with the telegraph, the telephone system soon began to extend into country areas, with telephone exchanges appearing in country New South Wales from the late 1880s onwards. Again the post office was responsible for the public telephone exchange, further emphasising its place in the community as a provider of communications services.

The appointment of James Barnet as acting colonial architect in 1862 coincided with a considerable increase in funding to the public works program. Between 1865 and 1890 the Colonial Architects Office was responsible for the building and maintenance of 169 post offices and telegraph offices in New South Wales. The post offices constructed during this period featured in a variety of architectural styles, as Barnet argued that the local parliamentary representatives always preferred "different patterns".

The construction of new post offices continued throughout the Depression years under the leadership of Walter Liberty Vernon, who held office from 1890 to 1911. While twenty-seven post offices were built between 1892 and 1895, funding to the Government Architect's Office was cut from 1893 to 1895, causing Vernon to postpone a number of projects.

Following Federation in 1901, the Commonwealth Government took over responsibility for post, telegraph and telephone offices, with the Department of Home Affairs Works Division being made responsible for post office construction. In 1916 construction was transferred to the Department of Works and Railways, with the Department of the Interior responsible during World War II.

On 22 December 1975, the Postmaster General's Department was abolished and replaced by the Post and Telecommunications Department. This was the creation of Telecom and Australia Post. In 1989, the Australian Postal Corporation Act established Australia Post as a self-funding entity, heralding a new direction in property management, including a move away from the larger more traditional buildings towards smaller shop front style post offices.

For much of its history, the post office has been responsible for a wide variety of community services including mail distribution, an agency for the Commonwealth Savings Bank, electoral enrolments, and the provision of telegraph and telephone services. The town post office has served as a focal point for the community, most often built in a prominent position in the centre of town close to other public buildings, creating a nucleus of civic buildings and community pride.

On 29 January 1835 W. H. Dutton, on behalf of the residents of Yass, requested the establishment of a post office by the postmaster general and colonial secretary. On 2 March, the colonial secretary recommended that an office be established with a Mr E. I. Abrahams as deputy postmaster for Yass and twenty shillings per week allowance for the conveyance of mail. The first office was then opened on 1 April 1835 with Mr Abrahams as postmaster. Abrahams resigned from the position in December as he was planning to return to England, prompting W. H. Dutton to recommend Mr J. W. Croaker as his replacement, the appointment being confirmed in March 1836.

From 1837 the overland mail to Melbourne travelled through Yass once per fortnight. The overland mail was run in a relay style, with the horses being changed at regular intervals along the way to allow for the most efficient trip. The mail was originally delivered once per week, with the service increasing to three times per week during 1848 and to six times per week from 1859. However, the coach trip was still a laborious and sometimes dangerous journey, with accidents not uncommon and robbery by bushrangers reported on the Yass coach right through until the 1860s. In 1864 a report to the postmaster-general claimed that £12,000 had been recovered in cheques and bills from robberies on the mail coach, with an unknown figure lost.

While the Yass Post Office operated out of a rented premise in a mixed business, the new telegraph office had a purpose-designed station when it opened in August 1858. Prior to 1867, the electric telegraph was administered by the Public Works Department and as such had their own offices constructed for them. The telegraph was seen as requiring purpose-built stations to house their specialised equipment, and it was not until after 1870 when the postmaster general was administering the telegraph that offices began to be amalgamated.

The introduction of the telegraph system in New South Wales had a profound effect on the operations of the post office. The telegraph operators were employed as full-time civil servants, something that the postal workers were not. Between 1828 and 1862 all postmasters and postmistresses, other than the postmaster in Sydney, were part-time and many ran a second business to support themselves. This resulted in many complaints during this period that the postmaster mistresses had an unfair commercial advantage through access to confidential information. In his report of 1861, the Postal Inspector Levinge recommended two improvements to the postal system. The first was the introduction of money orders to post offices and, in line with this, that official post office buildings should be erected and that permanent postal staff should be employed with no interest in any other business. These recommendations were implemented from the following year.

Yass's first official postmaster was George Robinson, who was appointed on 1 September 1862 on a salary of £200 per annum. Robinson was succeeded as postmaster in February 1864 by Thomas Levinge, the former postal inspector, who in turn was replaced by Richard Crackanthorp later in the same month. Levinge had been unhappy about his transfer to Yass and resigned from the service shortly after his arrival.

In 1871 Postmaster Goold wrote to the GPO requesting that a new post office building be rented in Yass. The office had been operating from a weatherboard building, and Goold suggested they move to a brick building in the same street for £30 per annum, close by the main business houses. His proposal was approved and the move took place on 1 November 1871. From September 1871, New South Wales post offices also began operating as agencies for the Government Savings Bank, which opened a branch in Yass on 11 September 1872. Also in 1872, the first iron letter receiving box was installed in Yass.

In February 1874, the then postmaster William Johnson reported that a new premises was again needed and suggested a former general store for £100 per annum. During the same period the search for a site to erect an official post office had begun. On 30 May, the Lands Department advised that Allotment 8 of Section 1 in the town had been reserved as an official site for a Government Post and Telegraph building. Despite this, in August a report from Postal Inspector Moyse stated that a new post office was not yet required. Moyse put forward two main reasons for his decision: firstly that the current office was sufficient in size for the service; and secondly, that the coming of the railway, with the station some four miles from town, would see a large section of the Postal Service removed to the railway station. Moyse recommended that the Department wait and see what the effect of the railway would be before proceeding with the new office. Moyse had also inspected the site proposed for the new office, commenting on its unsuitability due to it being prone to flooding.

In November 1877, Michael Fitzpatrick MP wrote to the postmaster general requesting a new post office offering suitable accommodation, noting that the present building was unsightly and did not afford adequate accommodation for the postmaster. Furthermore, the new railway had not caused a decrease in the [ostal business and so arrangements were made in May 1878 to invite tenders for a new Post and Telegraph Office. Following this notice a public meeting was held on 16 July, which called for a deputation to the PMG asking for the speedy erection of a post office. The site recommended was Allotment 10 of Section 17 in Comur Street, which was the nearest position available to the other public buildings in Yass. The Comur Street site was owned by the Catholic Church and negotiations for the land began with Father O'Keefe who was acting as trustee for the Bishop. Following negotiations, the lot was purchased for £8 per foot, with a frontage of 66 feet and depth of 132 feet. The sale was completed in October 1878.

With the land secured £1500 was put on the estimates for the construction of the new building. By April 1881, however, the funds had lapsed, while plans had been provided for a building that would cost £4000. In October 1881, Michael Fitzpatrick claimed that the chosen site was not suitable and that a second plot, also owned by the Catholic Church was better suited. This site was almost ninety yards from the original plot, adjoined land of the Commercial Bank and was in every way better suited for a post office. The Church was prepared to exchange the land for an extra £2 per foot, which was approved in December 1881.

In February 1882 it was reported that a new building had been approved and plans drawn with provision made for an office, a sitting room, private office, four bedrooms, a kitchen, pantry and storeroom. The design was rejected by the residents of Yass as being inadequate for the business being done in both the post and the telegraph offices, the residents also being against the amalgamation of the two offices. Despite public protest the Department proceeded with the proposal, accepting the tender of Mr W. Bundock on 24 March 1882 for the erection of a Post and Telegraph Office for the cost of £2,758.3.6, to be completed in twelve months.