Mangamahu
Mail & Telephone Services
Mail for back-country farm settlers has gone from being carried by packhorse, then coach, service car, evening bus, and midday rural delivery van.

Their communication has gone from letters, to talking on a one-wire party line, on a dial-up toll line, a free dialup wall phone, email messages, a close-to-home cellphone and then a remote satphone.

KAUANGAROA POST OFFICE (1881 - 1970)                 

The Post Office at Reid's Hill was opened on August 1, 1881, with Mrs
Elizabeth A. Young as Postmistress. She was paid £10 per annum to carry the
mail from Fordell to Kauangaroa. In 1889 the delivery was extended to
Mangamahu. Mr Young operated a coach service between Fordell, where he
met the train and collected passengers and mail, for Kauangaroa. As the road
was developed, his service extended to Mangamahu. Prior to then, the mail
was delivered by horseback.

Mr and Mrs Young and their family of five daughters lived at the foot of
Reid's Hill on the small flat at the beginning of what is now known as A. H.
Collins Reserve. There was little room for the house and out-buildings. The
horse paddock is now the reserve.

Two of their younger daughters helped to run the Post Office. Miss Amy
Young delivered the mail by horseback as far as Bird Grove once a week for many years.



We were still using these unbreakable voice-powered Carl Ericsson wall telephones that had been built during the 1890s, at Mangamahu 60 years later.
We could answer calls to our signal ring from anywhere in the valley, broadcast news to every home in the valley, make instant emergency calls or hold group conferences, and there were no monthly fees.

Telephone office facilities with the call sign KGR were added on July 30,
1901. Miss Grace Young was appointed Postmistress on 13 February  1907,
then on October 1, 1912, her sister, Amy Woolven took over. Amy had married Charlie Woolven, head shepherd at Okirae.

In July 1914, the Post Office was moved to the residence of Henry
Mayo, on the town side of the Kauangaroa bridge. Mr Mayo built a small
office annexed to his house and his daughter, Claudia Mayo, was
appointed Postmistress. Henry Mayo operated a small accommodation
business. On March 31, 1921, Mr Jim Brown married Miss Mayo and he took
over the accommodation paddocks and house from his father-in-law. Claudia resigned as Postmistress on the day she was married and the Post Office was closed. Settlers were then served by rural delivery. But the telephone office remained open.

In May 1927, Mr Brown sold his 16 acres to Mr Ted Cranstone. Jack
Carroll and his new bride, Jean, moved into the Brown's cottage with Mrs Jean Carroll as telephonist.

Requests for a better service eventually saw the telephone office relocated at the school house with the first teacher at Kauangaroa School, with Miss Emily Churton as the telephonist. When Miss Churton resigned in 1940, the telephone office closed again.

The situation was very frustrating and the village elders made representations to have the Post Office re-opened. In 1941 the Post Office opened once more, this time at the residence of Mr George Matthews, along the Kumuiti Road. His salary was £30 pa. Marilyn Matthews succeeded her father-in-law in 1966. At that time the Post Office was serving 16 houses and seven farms. The Post Office at Kauangaroa finally closed on April 30, 1970 as automatic dial phones, rural delivery and faster travel by road became commonplace.

MANGAWHERO POST OFFICE  (1901 - 1915)                    

There was once a telephone office at Ngaturi. Records mention its population in 1911 being 49. The school’s name there was Ngaturi, which could not be used as a name for the post office there because a Ngaturi post office existed near Pahiatua. So it was listed as Mangawhero.

Station owner Donald Polson was the telephonist.  The office opened on July 30, 1901 at the "Manurewa" homestead, and closed February 19, 1915.

William J. Polson was appointed telephonist in 1910, and after the
Mangawhero office closed in 1915 the settlers erected a party line to
Kauangaroa.

RATAPAPA (Rata Flat) (1894 - 1896)

(Rata Flat is high ground between Lilburn’s Inzevar farm in the Whangaehu valley, and Tod’s in the Mangamahu valley. It is now used as an aerial topdressing strip)

There were plenty of problems in the upper reaches as settlers tried to get the best service for mail and telephone.

Application was made in March 1891 for a post office at Rata Flat with Edgar
 Lewis as Postmaster. The application was approved but, as the policy was
to have a Maori name where possible, the new office was named Ratapapa.
Mr. Lewis was the first Postmaster and the office was in his homestead. He had to carry the mail twice weekly on horseback from Mangamahu.


Wanganui Chronicle - 16 September 1897

DELIVERING THE MAIL

Settlers north of Rata Flat kept requesting a mail service but were not successful until 1894 when they offered to subsidise a weekly service. Mr Lewis would carry the mail to Ratapapa on Saturday. On Sunday he went north along Hales' Track (aka The Ridge Road) to the Ingram homestead making an open delivery, the early equivalent of the rural delivery. He returned via the Upper Whangaehu River Road.

The great mail debate took several years to resolve - how to be fair to all settlers. In June 1995, the Mangamahu correspondent of the Wanganui Herald wrote:-

"One of the greatest troubles in this neighbourhood is the want of a
regular mail service. The mail service as far as Mangamahu three
times a week is as good as can be expected. Above Mangamahu there is
a weekly service as far as Mr Ingram's (Manawaimai) about 27 miles
further on.

The last 10 miles of this must necessarily be along Hales' Track,
but the first part has a choice of three routes—the Mangamahu
Valley, Hales' Track, or the Whangaehu Valley. Like the donkey that
starved between two haystacks, not knowing which one to go to, our
mail travels solemnly along the middle road (Hales' Track) which is on
a high ridge and has hardly a settler on it for the first 14 miles. It
returns by the same road.

It is absurd that settlers should have to climb about 1000 feet up a ridge
to see if there is any mail for them when they have a road running right
past their doors.

A much better arrangement might be for the mail to go up by the
Mangamahu Valley, as far as the road is open, then on to Mr Ingram's (Bald Hill) by Hales' Track, returning the same way as far as Ngamatea and hence
to Mangamahu by the Whangaehu valley road. Or it might go up the first part by the Whangaehu and return by the Mangamahu."

The mail service was offered for tenders for 1895-96. Mr T O'Donovan
secured the contract, and the Chief Postmaster, Wanganui, notified the GPO that the Ratapapa Post Office was closed.


INGRAM'S HOMESTEAD at Bald Hill (1895 - 1904)

When T. O'Donovan secured the mail contract in 1895, it was decided to
establish a Post Office at the northern end of the service, and on December
28, 1894, the Chief Postmaster recommended a Post Office for Ingram's
Homestead with William Ingram as Postmaster.

This opened from January 1, 1895. The name was probably chosen
instead of Bald Hill because of the existence of a Bald Hill Flat office in
Otago.

The mail contract, 1897-99, was secured by F. A. Allen and for 1900-03 by
James T. Shaw. The contract was relet for 1904-06 to W. Shaw and the mail run was described as Mangamahu Ingram's via Creek Road and Hales' Road.
On January 1, 1904, the Upper Whangaehu valley settlers secured a separate
delivery from Mangamahu — the Mangamahu to Ngamatea Rural Delivery
of today.

Ingram's homestead Post Office closed on February 29, 1904. The mail
service was relet to W. Shaw Junior in 1907-09 and was described as
Mangamahu to Waipapa, via Creek and Hales' Roads.

James Shaw carried the mail from Mangamahu up the Ridge Road and
then down to his own place twice a week. One day a week he went up the
River Road and nine miles along to Bald Hill and home again.

After the death of James Shaw in 1907, his daughter Annie carried on with the
mail run. In those days the road often became a quagmire in wet weather.
Nothing daunted Miss Shaw and she became one of the best remembered personalities in the early years of this century. With Miss Shaw, hail, rain, mud or flood the mail had to go through and through it went with this indomitable lady riding side saddle all the way.

When she found herself with child in 1912, in the middle of winter, all that she and Bill Gibson knew was that it was something you had to get married for, and all they knew about marriage was that it was something done by a minister in a church. So she and Bill rode up onto Hales Track, down to Mangamahu, then to the nearest minister, at Matarawa church. Then all the way home again the same day. 140 kilometres riding sidesaddle - while pregnant!

See the song Barb Wire Annie.

MAUNGAKARETU POST OFFICE at Mount View (1913  - 1922)

On October 15, 1912, a request was made for a telephone office at Mount
View. This was approved but the office was given the name of Maungakaretu
from the name of the Maungakaretu high point and trig station, a kilometre sou-west of Ingram's.

The telephone office was opened on January 16, 1913, and closed on June
20, 1922. No date stamp is recorded in the Post Office archives. Keith White
remembers that the office provided all facilities except for posting letters.


THE MANGAMAHU POST OFFICE (1889 - 1988)

The Mangamahu Post Office was opened on January 1, 1889, with Mr Arthur
Ellis, the proprietor of the Mangamahu Hotel, as Postmaster. Representa-
tions for an office had been made on November 29, 1887 and again in October
1888.

On January 15, 1896 the office was moved to the general store about 50
yards from the Hotel. William Brown was appointed Postmaster. On October 2, 1896 a request was made re the cost of a telephone line to Mangamahu and
on April 6, 1900 an application for a telephone office with a line through
from Kauangaroa was successful.

The telephone office was opened on July 30, 1901, with the call sign
MAG.

Postmasters-
Arthur Ellis, 1889 (without salary)
William Brown, 1896
William Forsyth, 1902
Justina Forsyth, 1913 (salary £60 pa)
 W. Bird, 1915
W. Brown, 1919
Herbert J. Archer, 1920 (salary £102 pa)
Robert C. Cook, 1937
J. J. Gilbertson, 1952
L. Ron Smith, 1960
 J. Wills, 1967
Mrs Bev Willis is present Postmistress. (1988)

As early as 1895 the local settlers were complaining about transmitting
money. They wanted a money order service at Mangamahu instead of having
to travel 20 miles to Fordell to transact business. For the next 12 years they
continued to petition until they got what they wanted.

By October 8, 1907, a petition, organised by W. Park and R. J. Tod had been approved by the Department on the recommendation of the Wanganui Chief Postmaster.

"Herewith a petition from 57 residents of Mangamahu asking for a Post
Office Savings Bank which is now a money order office. The
Postmaster is willing to perform the extra duties providing the salary is
increased. The district is an important one and Savings Bank facilities
would be appreciated".

By 1913 the telephone service included the whole of the River Road. The
cost of connection was charged to ratepayers- five shillings per mile, minimum
charge £5. The lines were put up out of county funds.


Wanganui County Council, 6th  March 1902

After an inspection visit to the Post Office in 1909 the Chief Postmaster
reported:-

"The work is carried out on a counter apart from that at which the store
business is conducted. The arrangements are good for a country Post
Office. The telephone is placed in a detached room with an extension to
the store. The room is not sound-proof and the Postmaster declines
positively to go to any expense in that matter.

The building was under lock when I visited but as there are few people about the township at any time (off-peak hour?) it is probable that this precaution does not always prevail and telegrams could be seen by users of the bureau. In future all messages will be put under lock as soon as they are disposed of on the wire.

The settlers have not voiced any grievances and from experience they
have not been slow in the past in placing their grievances before the
department. They would prefer a separate permanent office but this
the present business does not justify."

The question of a separate building for the Post Office arose again
during a rather stormy period, 1909-13. Mr Forsyth, from the store
absent on extended sick leave. The department recognised Mr Robert Blythe
as his deputy but Mr Forsyth left Mr Small in charge— Mr Small lived at the
hotel. The Chief Postmaster was deluged with complaints and petitions —
telephone conversations were not private, telegrams were seen by
unauthorised persons, the phone not answered.

Toll operators in Wanganui said they had to wait and wait to get an answer from Mangamahu. Mr T.S Lacy the hotel proprietor seemed to be allowed to use the toll phone whenever he liked. On one occasion Mr Lacy and a lady operator argued over who had prior right to the phone. She maintained that her commercial business came first—but he would not relinquish the phone.

Both lost their tempers and the local publican was accused. "You should drink less beer and you might become more civil". The publican was indignant—he had never been drunk in his life—he saw too much of that in his line of business!

Mr W. J. Polson (later Sir William Polson) also added his complaint. He had rung Mangamahu and received no reply. The telephonist used his discretion when opening up after hours. Poor Mr Blythe reported that he usually did open up for anyone but in this case Mr Polson's ring had come through while he was in the bath.

"Enough is enough", said the locals, "we want a separate building". Mr Polson as past chairman of the Road Board offered part of the hall. Mrs J. Morgan indicated that she was willing to act as operator. The department said the hall was unlined and unsuitable. Mr Lacy offered a building on his hotel property — central, suitable and would cost the department only a peppercorn rent.

Fortunately the department was in no hurry to move or to incur more
expense. Mr Forsyth's health was still not good so he decided to sell the store
and the new Postmaster managed to keep the peace. All the same, opening up
for emergency calls of varying degrees could always put him in a no-win
situation.

By the 1950s the voice-powered single-wire line, with an earth return to complete the circuit, and known as "The Spasm" for the electric shock that its dynamo could give the unwary when the handle was turned, was perhaps the most over-loaded in the country with 36 subscribers, and it was left to the local postmaster to extend the Morse code as best he could.

The Spasm had restricted hours for toll calls from 9.00am to 5.00pm with a
close down for lunch. A toll call enabled the caller to connect to the Post & Telegraph Department's amplified 2-wire line to town.

There were also 10 locals connected to this party line who paid a monthly fee. A single long ring (3 rotations of the dynamo crank handle) summoned a Wanganui operator 24/7.

John Archer recalls—
"My father was the local general carrier (transport operator) and my mother took all the phone calls requesting the carting of sheep, cattle, wool, hay, superphosphate, river metal, farm supplies, a family's furniture, and (for that surreal month after the Tangiwai disaster) of "bods" recovered from the river gorges.

"So we had two party-line Carl Ericssons hanging in our hallway passage; four rather erratic shorts and long sent her to the Spasm to take a farmer's request, while two steady longs took her to the Town Phone where dad would be checking in to see whether anything needed to be brought back from town.
  

   

 

The Carl Ericsson connected to our Town Phone was a more modern battery-assisted 1900s version, with  miniaturised magnets enabling the microphone to be in the lightweight
handpiece.

Six Long Rings was the signal for everyone to dash to the phone. That was the ring for a disaster, a call for help or to announce some momentous news. Those six rings buzzed up and down the valley frequently during the war years.

When a young farm-worker's pregnant wife went into unexpected early labour at 2 am during a winter storm, and slips had blocked the River Road, the desperate lad rang six long rings and most of the valley turned out to help get her through to Wanganui Hospital.

Then when dozens of bodies went swirling past Mangamahu on Christmas morning after the Tangiwai train disaster, my father’s six longs initiated a grim 4-week-long recovery mission, all done without any help from the police or army. See Pillows of the Dead."

MANGAMAHU'S AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE EXCHANGE

  By September 1958 a new automatic phone service was operating in the
valley. At a ceremony in the Memorial Hall representative farmers and P&T officials outlined improvements to communications since the early
days. The new phone set-up was a non-attended unit automatic exchange
which could channel out-going calls direct to Wanganui toll boards. Speakers
were Mr R. E. Jack MP, Mr G. Beaglehole, the P&T Divisional Engineer, and
Mr J. King, his former assistant who had planned the new exchange. Mr Eric
Hine spoke on behalf of the settlers. Mr Hine had been one of the prime
movers in the whole project and he said he and the local Postmaster Mr J. J.
Gilbertson had both looked forward to the day when settlers had direct
communication to Wanganui.

With the new exchange 51 households now had a 24 hour use of four lines to the city. Weekend and emergency calls no longer cost an opening fee or reliance on those who had direct phones. With the new exchange, 51 households now had a 24 hour use of four lines to the city.
Weekend and emergency calls no longer cost an opening fee or reliance
on those who had direct phones.

November 16, 1981, saw another important landmark for upper valley
subscribers the opening of a direct toll free service to Wanganui. At a
gathering in the Memorial Hall the Minister of Lands and MP for Waitotara,
Mr V. S. Young, announced the inclusion of Mangamahu in the free toll
calling area in Wanganui. The minister made the first call to Wanganui in
front of a delighted audience of about 70 residents. Mr Odell, the Wanganui
Post Office District Engineer said the cost of the new exchange equipment
and the cable from Fordell was $242,000. With 52 subscribers from
Mangamahu and 20 from Fordell, also on the exchange, that amounted to
about $5000 each. In return rentals were increased by $50. Mangamahu was
the first exchange in Wanganui to have new digital toll equipment and the
local committee who had worked so long and so hard were proud of their
achievement.

The Postmaster of the last Post Office in the valley, Mr Jack Wills, stands at the door of the Mangamahu Post Office which still displays the V.R. sign. Victoria Regina—Queen Victoria—Royal Mail.
The office officially closed in February 1988. Mail is now delivered by a rural mail van from Whanganui.
                            
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