Rural Post Office to reopen for a day
March 5, 2007
Rural Post Office to reopen for a day
The former post office in the tiny King Country community of Tokirima is to reopen – but just for a day.
Tokirima celebrates it’s 100th centenary on March 10th and as part of the festivities a special 45 cent stamp has been designed. NZ Post have agreed that it can be hand franked and then sent on the traditional route via Wanganui for formal processing.
Former post mistress, Lilly Sandilands, and two other post ladies will be present to frank the stamps.
The Tokirima Post Office and Savings (POSB) is believed to have been the smallest POSB in New Zealand. Postal service started in 1909 and finally closed in 1988. In 1997 the Historic Places Trust registered the Post Office building as a Category Two Historic Place, acknowledging the historical and cultural significance of the building originally erected in 1937.
Tokirima School is one of the only ‘new’ rural school buildings in New Zealand, the original having been destroyed by flooding in 1998. The same flood damaged the Post Office but it has since been refurbished. Over 200 people have registered for the Centennial which includes a celebration dinner in the evening. Former pupils and staff are returning from all over New Zealand and as far away as Australia. More details & photo's available at: www.tokirima.com
ENDS