Proserpine Post Office 1904 - There’s a Lady in Charge

Mrs Maggie Tracey takes up duties as Proserpine’s first official Postmistress

From 1896 until 1904, shopkeeper, Jonathan Jupp, operated an unofficial post office with telegraph facilities from his general store in Main Street. The area was then known as Lower Proserpine. The “Port Denison Times” (March 1904) stated that “a site for a Post and Telegraph Office in Proserpine had been purchased and tenders were open for the erection of this building.”

Enter Mrs Maggie Tracey (nee Hall-Scott) of Bowen.

Maggie had assisted her husband, George Tracey, in his position as Postmaster at Croydon and then later at Springsure. It was there that George contracted pneumonia and died in 1901. Having been left with three small children, the youngest born just six weeks after his father’s death, Maggie chose to return to her relatives in Bowen.

Because of her proficiency as a telegraphist in sending morse-code messages, she was offered the new position of Postmistress at Proserpine. The offer also included a residence allowing Maggie to support her family independently. The post office entry was on the side at the back of the building and the residence at the front. It was reported in the “Port Denison Times” (August 2, 1904) that “The new Proserpine Post and Telegraph Office is finished and Mrs Tracey will leave Bowen to take charge on Wednesday inst.”  

When the official post office opened, the “Lower” was dropped from Proserpine’s name. The office was the agency for the Queensland Government Savings Bank and also opened every Saturday night especially so that the sugar mill workers could bank and withdraw their pay. This was the only banking facility in town until 1907 when the Bank of New South Wales opened.  

The mail coach arrived in Proserpine on Tuesday and Saturday evenings from Bowen and returned on Thursday and Monday Mornings. (“Proserpine History by Post” - “Proserpine Guardian” December 27 1968) It was not until 1941 that a letter delivery service was first sought. By this stage, the post office had reached official Grade 3 status. “It was proposed to deliver mail by a telegraph messenger at first pending appointment of a postman. … It was a morning delivery which was considered adequate for quite some time as the mail trains arrived in time for all mail to be delivered in the morning run.” (“Guardian” Dec 27, 1968.)

In 1909, Maggie left her position with the post office after marrying Frank Gataker, a sugar cane inspector, the previous year. She was presented with a silver salver in recognition of her services. Upon her departure, Mr J Cameron took over the position as Postmaster.

Maggie and her family moved to Kingaroy. Later, she returned to Bowen and tried a number of farming ventures during the 30s and 40s. During this time, she acted as a judge at the Proserpine Show.  Maggie died in Bowen in 1958.

Story and photo courtesy Proserpine Historical Museum.

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