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The Doyleston Post Office
Description
TitleThe Doyleston Postal Service
DescriptionIn May 1868, the Post Office at the Road Board Office in Leeston was moved to Doyle’s Junction Store at Boggy Creek (Doyleston) but it was still the “Leeston Post Office”.
Eighteen months later the Doyleston residents “heard” that the post office was to move back to Leeston and this caused at least three letters to be written to the newspapers asking why it would be shifted from busy Boggy Creek to “a township containing a public house and a Road Board Office, without, I believe, any other buildings.”
On 1 March 1870, The Press announced that “the Leeston Post-office will be continued at Mr Doyle’s as usual.”
The Southern Provinces Almanac records published in December 1871 gives the postmaster as J.H. Doyle, storekeeper, and subsequent additions up to that of December 1874, show the same.
There was an important change in January 1872, when the Leeston Post Office was opened at J.J. Loe’s, Leeston, and the Office at Boggy Creek, which was named Leeston, was altered to Doyleston.
When the railway reached Doyleston in 1875 and the Post Office transferred to the railway station, William Henry Crowe was gazetted as the Postmaster.
He was succeeded in 1876 by C.R. Parsons then Alfred Atyeo (Atyes) a year later.
During the time of James Walls (1881-1883) the two-month name change to “Cheddar” occurred.
W.H. Alderton served for 2 months before being succeeded by W. Smith who stayed until 1888.
A telegraph had been installed sometime before. T. Corcoran, H. Thacker, J.H. Newton and A.S. Brittan served between 1888 and 1901.
A year after Stevenson Wright started, a Telephone Exchange and Bureau and a telegram service were established.
In 1909, after Leonard Charles Jolly had served two years, the Post Office was shifted back to the Junction store.
The telegraph, with morse code, was replaced by a telephone.
Herbert Oscar Amos took over as the non-permanent Postmaster and Telephonist in the store.
In 1913 the Doyleston “exchange” served four subscribers.
The subsequent store owners became the postmasters.
During this time there was pressure to move the postal service back to the railway station to provide the stationmaster with full-time employment and another to shift it to Adam Werner’s engineering premises.
However, the postal service stayed in the store until 1960 when it was moved to a small purpose-built office attached to the garage of Ross Kennedy Bray, who employed Annie Brizzle part-time.
A year later following a public meeting and considerable negotiations Mrs. Margaret Woodward was appointed to a part-time operation.
In 1967 Grace L. Hinton took over.
Jack Pearcy was the last Postmaster and in February 1988 the post office closed.
Information from The Chief Postmaster, Christchurch, and Papers Past
Mike Noonan
Ellesmere Historical Society
Date25 July 2019SourceThe Ellesmere EchoLocationDoyleston
DescriptionIn May 1868, the Post Office at the Road Board Office in Leeston was moved to Doyle’s Junction Store at Boggy Creek (Doyleston) but it was still the “Leeston Post Office”. Eighteen months later the Doyleston residents “heard” that the post office was to move back to Leeston and this caused at least three letters to be written to the newspapers asking why it would be shifted from busy Boggy Creek to “a township containing a public house and a Road Board Office, without, I believe, any other buildings.”
On 1 March 1870, The Press announced that “the Leeston Post-office will be continued at Mr Doyle’s as usual.”
The Southern Provinces Almanac records published in December 1871 gives the postmaster as J.H. Doyle, storekeeper, and subsequent additions up to that of December 1874, show the same.
There was an important change in January 1872, when the Leeston Post Office was opened at J.J. Loe’s, Leeston, and the Office at Boggy Creek, which was named Leeston, was altered to Doyleston.
When the railway reached Doyleston in 1875 and the Post Office transferred to the railway station, William Henry Crowe was gazetted as the Postmaster.
He was succeeded in 1876 by C.R. Parsons then Alfred Atyeo (Atyes) a year later.
During the time of James Walls (1881-1883) the two-month name change to “Cheddar” occurred.
W.H. Alderton served for 2 months before being succeeded by W. Smith who stayed until 1888.
A telegraph had been installed sometime before. T. Corcoran, H. Thacker, J.H. Newton and A.S. Brittan served between 1888 and 1901.
A year after Stevenson Wright started, a Telephone Exchange and Bureau and a telegram service were established.
In 1909, after Leonard Charles Jolly had served two years, the Post Office was shifted back to the Junction store.
The telegraph, with morse code, was replaced by a telephone.
Herbert Oscar Amos took over as the non-permanent Postmaster and Telephonist in the store.
In 1913 the Doyleston “exchange” served four subscribers.
The subsequent store owners became the postmasters.
During this time there was pressure to move the postal service back to the railway station to provide the stationmaster with full-time employment and another to shift it to Adam Werner’s engineering premises.
However, the postal service stayed in the store until 1960 when it was moved to a small purpose-built office attached to the garage of Ross Kennedy Bray, who employed Annie Brizzle part-time.
A year later following a public meeting and considerable negotiations Mrs. Margaret Woodward was appointed to a part-time operation.
In 1967 Grace L. Hinton took over.
Jack Pearcy was the last Postmaster and in February 1988 the post office closed.
Information from The Chief Postmaster, Christchurch, and Papers Past
Mike Noonan
Ellesmere Historical Society
Date25 July 2019SourceThe Ellesmere EchoLocationDoylestonConnections
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Researched ByMike NoonanWritten ByMike Noonan
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The Doyleston Post Office (25 July 2019). Selwyn Stories, accessed 15/06/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/5264