End of an Era

When the Aorangi Post Office closed down recently it ended 40 years of service to the residents of the Makarika Valley, which is on an inland road some seven miles south of Ruatoria. Residents now have a new rural delivery service from Ruatoria. After two postmasters in the first seven years the office came under the charge of Mr G. E. Cotterill, owner of Makarika station, and has been operated by his staff since then. These pictures of the Post Office's last day came to us from Mr Percy Rawlings, manager of Makarika station.

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With Mrs Rawlings and the last bag of mail are, from left, Messrs L. Bartlett and P. Rawlings (mail carriers to and from the main road), W. Hercock (P.M. Ruatoria), and D. McKenzie (Chief Postmaster, Gisborne).

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Beau Kururangi, driver for Ward's Transport, the mail contractors, drops off the last mail for Aorangi Post Office, at the turn-off.

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Raana Goldsmith, the rural delivery driver, arrives with the first mail by the new service for Makarika school.

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Waiting for the last mail to be sorted

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Everyone has their mail, and goodbye to an era!