Unlike the last two sites you have visited where parts of the original heritage sites have been preserved, this final site shows nothing of The Old Post Office that stood here in the past. The structure was built in 1883 on Wyndham Street, where much of Shepparton’s business was, and continues to be, conducted. Between the 1920s and the 1940s, much of the town, as it was known then, began to rapidly develop, with much of the older buildings demolished to make way for the considerable growth of the region. The streetscapes of Shepparton changed drastically, with newer buildings taking over both Wyndham and High Streets, transforming it from an industrial area to the to the retail centre that we can still see today. Consequently, by the 1970s, buildings such as the Old Post Office were struggling. Having only needed to handle 5,100 postal articles at the time of the post office’s establishment, the facilities would be inadequate to oversee the 8.75 million articles that came to be processed in the new facilities by 1977.
The need for larger and more efficient facilities did not, however, outweigh the love that many members of Shepparton’s community felt for the Post Office. The idea to demolish the nineteenth century structure to make way for the existing, less aesthetically pleasing telecommunications building was not met with an eager reception. When, In 1972, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works confirmed that “the existing facilities would be unable to cope with the expected growth of mail and telecommunications services” Shepparton’s representatives attempted to appeal the decision. A proposed alternative action was to preserve the existing building and renovating so that the needed facilities could be connected to the existing structure, but such changes were not deemed adequate. The demolition of the Post Office has since been remembered with much sadness, with former Councillor Bruce Wilson stating that “it’s a shame that [Shepparton] has lost so much.”
Since the Old Post Office was brought down, there arose in Shepparton what has been referred to by historians as “concern for the past”. While rapid development has been important, the need for progress and growth has meant that there are few built heritage structures that have continued to stand in the city. Unsurprisingly, community members have been concerned by this, and as such, have turned to their own ways to remember and honour Shepparton’s Heritage. Facebook pages such as Lost Shepparton, and websites such as My Shepparton, both run by local historian Geoff Allemand, are platforms used to share images and objects that connect to Shepparton’s past, and frequently mention the profound loss of the Post Office. In a passionate response to an image of the Old Post Office posted on the Lost Shepparton page, one follower stated that “to look at Shepparton, you wouldn’t think that it was founded in the mid-1800s at all” and that structure was destroyed “no doubt, in the name of progress.” Another recalls how the chiming of the Old Post Office clock is a sound now “lost to Shepparton”, its absence a poignant reminder of the loss that urban development can bring about.
Evidently, the link that most ties the three heritage sites together is the way in which they have been managed, with urban development often overwhelming the significance of the site. However, what has also become apparent throughout this tour is the deep rooted links to community that Shepparton’s heritage has incited, as well as the importance of the local voice in heritage management. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape has iterated the vitality of “localised approaches” to heritage that are “people-centred”, an aspect that has been absent from past heritage management in Shepparton. Recognising this necessity of involving community in heritage management is vital, especially in order to balance the inevitability of urban development with the necessity of preserving the city’s remaining heritage.
