Mathinna Post Office.

[Colin Salt]

I illustrate below a scan of a very battered postcard showing this office. It is a real photo in sepia but copies more clearly in greyscale and is shown in this format. The reverse is in colour. The card was posted on 29 September 09 but there are no clues as to the photographer or when it was taken.

As a matter of interest it is recorded in 'Tasmanian Towns in Federation Times" by Laurie Hoare pub. 1998 that the post office is opposite the Telegraph Hotel and is in charge of Miss Webster. The mail service is daily from Final. The source of this information is stated to be Tasmanian Mail 11/7/03 page 37 and (Launceston) Daily Telegraph 8/8/03 page 4

[Mike]

This is Mahers Talbot Hotel at Mathinna. It is a bit hard to read from the scan but Miss L Maher is the licencee. The 1904 Post Office directory lists Thomas Maher as the licencee and the 1913 PO directory lists Miss L Maher (perhaps his daughter). O. Bottcher is listed as the Licencee of the Telegraph Hotel in 1904. The Telegraph Hotel is not listed in the 1913 PO directory, so perhaps has closed. The town by then was in serious decline as the gold mines had closed.
I guess the Post Office was nearby.

This RP shows a group of racing bike cyclists getting ready to take off. This card is unused and there is no photographers name, which is shame as it is a great photo!
I would consider any postcards of Mathinna to be rare.

[bowenp]

L Maher was my grandmother. Her name was Lavinia. She married John Edward McKenzie at Evercreech. She had a number of brothers and sisters as follows
Siblings of Lavinia McKenzie
Alice Maher married Dick Smith, issue Dorothy Brophy, Marjorie Hammond, Joyce, Jeff
Lavinia Maher born at Alberton, Tasmania married John Edward McKenzie - issue Margaret, John, Helen, Elisabeth
Mary Maher (did not marry)
Eileen Maher married Spence issue Hugh, Pat, Eric
Hugh Maher - died of wounds in WW1
John (Jack) Maher - died at Riverview
Tom Maher (did not marry)

[Ross Ewington]

I have just located another card with a view of the MATHINNA POST OFFICE addressed to a Wroe Williams residing at Colebrook.

Also a few real photo cards from the same correspondence, all mailed in 1907.

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