Original Hornsby Post Office, Pennant Hills Road, Normanhurst

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PhotographerAlan LiddleDetailsAbout 1860 parts of the grants made to Samuel Horne and W. Unwin along Pennant Hills Road were subdivided. Orchards were established and homes built, and the village of Hornsby was formed. The population of the district increased so rapidly that in 1864 John Wild was appointed Postmaster and continued as such for nearly forty years except for a period between May 1855 and October 1887.
During that time he leased the property to Thomas Berry and Berry's daughter Susie took charge of the Post Office.
Johnathon Wild built his home on the block between today's Hinemoa Ave and the Pacific Highway. On 27 September 1863 he became a trustee of the original Normanhurst (South Hornsby) Methodist Church which originally had a shingled roof. His property was next door to the church and a room at the back of his home became the first Hornsby Post Office. John Wild initially received a salary of £10 a year when he became Postmaster, but this was increased to £19 when more mail started passing through the post office. Once the railway was constructed and more people moved into the area his salary rose to £30 a year. The original name of the Post Office was Hornsby which was changed to South Hornsby in 1900 and several years later became known as Normanhurst.
When Jonathon Wild, as the local NSW Postmaster, told Norman Selfe that the local post office was to be named Walla instead of Hornsby the name it had borne for fifty years Selfe organised a protest against the proposal and eventually the residents somewhat unwillingly agreed to the change but chose Normanhurst after the local district's most distinguished citizen.
Johnathon was buried in the grounds of the Wesleyan Chapel along New Line Road.
Source: 'They lived along Pennant Hills Road', Patricia Dewey (2020) p.157Date takenc1987LocationNormanhurstGeotag^[1]KeywordsNormanhurstPennant Hills RoadPost OfficeJohnathon Wild

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CollectionAlan Liddle Collection

PhotographOld Hornsby Post Office, Pennant Hills Rd, C.1864PhotographsOld Hornsby Post Office

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Original Hornsby Post Office, Pennant Hills Road, Normanhurst

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