One of Hawera's most treasured "residents" is set to retire after 112 years of serving the community.
The Penfold Hexagonal letterbox was installed on the corner of High and Victoria Sts in 1898 and has been on duty for more than a century, carrying the hopes and aspirations of an emergingnation and the settlement of Taranaki.
But times change, and it is not used as much now, with alternative post boxes in town. So, the Penfold, as it is affectionately known, is being retired by NZ Post on June 30.
Its future is secure as it is being given to South Taranaki District Council and, while it will not be used, it will be brought back to its former glory and remain on its original site.
The rust will be removed and its original livery will be reinstated to give it the recognition it so richly deserves.
Designed in 1879 by Cochrane Grove and Company in Britain from an original design by JW Penfold, Chartered Surveyor and Architect, it was cast in Dunedin by F&D Duncan Ltd.
During its time, the Penfold has carried news of the Relief of Mafeking, seen the Great Depression, and two world wars.
The Penfold has been a conduit for news from the time it took six months for a letter to reach "the Mother Land" to when the same can be done by email literally in seconds. It has stood stoical for 112 years without change, and without failure, serving the people of Hawera, but its duty is done.
