Clevedon Post Office

At the time of opening, the Postmistress was Phyllis Williams who had operated the postal service from her own home at the site of the present Monument since 1901. She remained postmistress in a permanent position from 1909 to 1921.

As recorded in Voices of Belonging, during WW1, telegrams of death and maiming were coming in and someone had to take those telegrams to families. Mrs Williams had the unpleasant task of breaking the news to any resident whose son had been the victim of the war, “her only means of transport: a horse and gig”. “And when it was her turn? Was she on her own when the telegram came?” Her son Harry was drowned in 1917 when his ship was torpedoed off the English coast. (VB, p. 407)

But even more transformative to communications was the establishment of the Clevedon Private Telephone Association in 1912. This privately owned web of phone lines criss-crossed the district, utilising the top wire of fences, or sometimes from tree to tree, connecting – at one point – 120 subscribers to an exchange which had been established at the private residence of Willie (Bill) Collett (Thorp Cottage) from where a special line linked up to the Post Office, allowing for toll calls to be made via a line to Papakura.

A separate government telephone exchange was established in the Post Office in 1921 and eventually the private exchange ceased to exist; electric power, which had reached the district by 1928, interfered with the earth return circuit system and spelt the end of the Association. Mr Collett worked on in the Post Office exchange for many years until his retirement.

The Clevedon Post Office is today known as the Clevedon District Centre, and is owned by Auckland Council and made available for use by the community via their Facilities team.

At time of writing, The Clevedon Association is working with Franklin Local Board to open this building more frequently as a ‘Community Hub’, incorporating our Clevedon Village Library, continuing the building’s tradition of connecting people.

In 2026, the Clevedon Village Library found a new home in the District Centre, the latest chapter in a story stretching back over 160 years.

It began with a hopeful suggestion at a church soiree on 23rd April 1861, when Rev. Thomas Norrie floated the idea of a village library. Within a week, a committee had formed and set a practical goal: raise £10 for books. They hit £11 in weeks.

In true community spirit, local men volunteered timber, carpentry skills, and even the hinges and nails to build a bookcase. The library opened on 18th August 1862.

By 1887, it had moved into the community hall whose trust deed had wisely reserved space for a "public hall, reading room and library" a decade earlier. That year, pupils from local schools gained free access, though the headmaster of Wairoa School had strong opinions: no fiction. Boys instead devoured tales of explorers like Livingstone and Stanley.

From 1921, a "subcommittee of ladies" took the reins, an arrangement so successful it continued for decades. A government book-swap scheme launched in 1938 brought fresh reading material every three months. The Manukau City Council stepped in when that service ended in 1972, and a purpose-built library room appeared beside the hall in 1985.

Throughout it all, one thing never changed: the library has always run on the dedication of volunteers.