BY ROBYN PARKES
In November 1922 the people of Brightwater petitioned for help in obtaining adequate telephone facilities for the district as there were many residents who could not enjoy the benefits of the telephone facilities provided by the government for other communities.
The nearest exchanges were at either Richmond or Wakefield, which made the linking up with these, except by means of party lines which were objected to by business firms, too costly. Those who lived in Wairoa Gorge, Waimea West, Mount Heslington and Spring Grove were out of range of even party lines but could be brought into range if an exchange were established at Brightwater.
Businessmen believed this resulted in an unfair handicap while in competition with similar business firms in adjoining townships. They called for the establishment of a telephone exchange at Brightwater but needed a new post office for this purpose.
This would bring the residents in the adjacent valleys within the limit to which the Government provided posts and wires free of cost to the subscribers. The Chief Postmaster was presented with a petition bearing the signatures of 37 people who wanted telephone connections, with hopes that the number would double.
In June 1923 word was received that the telephone exchange had been authorised and work would commence immediately.
At a public “Post Office Matters” meeting held at Brightwater in July 1924, those attending voted unanimously to request that a portion of the railway reserve facing the main road; nearly opposite to the old post office, be secured, and that the Courthouse be moved onto it and used as a new post office.
The M.P. Mr Atmore approached the Minister of Railways concerning the granting of the site selected to the postal authorities. Plans to proceed with the telephone exchange and the erecting of the lines were organised.
As is often the case, delays occurred, and another meeting was held in April 1925 to discuss the matter. The old post office building was inadequate to accommodate the staff necessary, and to carry out the business. Previous steps to establish a exchange at Brightwater with the help of Mr Atmore had resulted in the promise that the Courthouse building would be available for transfer as a post office.
The estimates were presented at a sitting of Parliament and the Postmaster General confirmed that arrangements were to be made to allow the Courthouse to be moved and re-purposed. However, it was later found that there was an issue. The Courthouse building could be removed and converted into a post office, but had to be without undue expense to the department. The men of the district reacted by volunteering to assist with the removal and relocation.
Finally, in May 1926, the secretary of the post office agreed to improve the Brightwater facilities. The Courthouse was secured for the post office, but the railway site was no longer available. The dimensions of the proposed site were rather restricted, the Railway Department had secured a rental of £5 per annum for the use of the land and the land was low lying, and the required filling would involve considerable expenditure. Instead, a site on the main road of Brightwater a short distance from the railway line was purchased, whereby the Courthouse could be moved.
Over one week in September 1926 the Courthouse was shifted to its new site on the main road, under the supervision of Mr F. Robertson Snr. The men of Wairoa Gorge and Brightwater were congratulated for their willingness to complete the work without any remuneration.
