There is a record in the National Archives “Postal History” which states that the first Mount Lawley Post Office was opened in 1909 at the railway station. There are also records stating that there was a sub-branch in Chelmsford Street. But Mt Lawley was an up-and-coming suburb which urgently required a proper post office.

On 23 January 1916, the Sunday Times printed the following:

AT LAST! Post Office for Mt. Lawley

We are pleased to learn that at last the Federal Government has recognised the urgent necessity for a post office at Mt. Lawley, and it is proposed to make a commencement with the erection of the necessary building at an early date. A site in Beaufort-street, was selected for the purpose some time ago, and this will now be utilised.

But seven years later nothing had happened, and in the West Australian on 19 May 1923, under the heading Perth Road Board, we see the following:

With regard to the providing of a post office in Mt. Lawley, the board decided to write the Deputy Postmaster-General, drawing his attention to the urgent necessity for having postal and telegraphic facilities in that locality, and to the fact that a site, lot 420, Beaufort-street, near the Lyceum Theatre, had been already reserved for the purpose.

And yet the “urgent necessity” dragged on. The Daily News of 1 November 1923, under the heading Postal Facilities, Provision in Mt. Lawley, stated … a Letter had been received by Mr. Mann from the Department of the Minister for Works and Railways (Mr. P.G. Stewart) indicated that the proposal has taken definite shape…

But time moved on and The Sunday Times of 23 March 1924, when reporting Work in Hand for the Perth Road Board, stated:

The Postmaster-General’s attention is to be drawn to the urgent necessity for erecting the Mt. Lawley post office, for which a site in Beaufort-street has already been set aside and for which £500 has been set apart as the first moiety of the cost.

The tender for building the Mt Lawley Post Office was advertised on 26 March 1924 in The West Australian inviting tenders to be submitted by April 1 (not much time!).

Later in the same year, discussion in the Federal Parliament, recorded in Hansard on page 1033 dated 30th May 1924, stated the following:

QUESTION - MOUNT LAWLEY POST OFFICE

Mr MARKS for Mr Mann: asked the Minister for Works and Railways, upon notice -
1. When, is it expected that the new post office at Mount Lawley (Perth) will be completed?
2. When is it expected to be opened for business? Mr STEWART (Minister for Works and Railways · WIMMERA, VICTORIA): The answers to the honorable member’s questions are as follows:
1. The date under the contract is 16th September next.
2. Very shortly after completion of the building.

The Sunday Times of 16 November 1924 had a picture of “Mt. Lawley’s New Post Office”, but unfortunately the reproduction it is not of good quality. The caption read:

The building … has been erected near the corner of Beaufort and Walcott streets to serve the needs of the people of Mt. Lawley, at a cost of approximately £2000. Mr. Geo. H. Fairbanks was the contractor and Mr. Hardwick of the Public Works Department, the architect.

Whilst The Sunday Times of 18 January 1925 stated “Mt. Lawley’s new post office near the corner of Walcott and Beaufort streets was opened for business on Tuesday”, implying that it was opened on 13 January 1925, an internal memo addressed to the Deputy Postmaster-General stated:

On 8th January, 1925, an official Office was opened at Mount Lawley an important and progressive suburb of Perth district about two miles from the General Post Office. It serves a population of approximately 2,600, mostly residential, but with the usual percentage of small business places. A letter delivery was diverted from the General Post Office and four postmen transferred to effect the deliveries. A Postal asst. text and telegraph messenger were transferred from the Brisbane Street Office and a Postal Assistant from Cottesloe was placed in charge. It went on to say “The mails are carried between the General Post Office and the Office by the Postman, per tram, and two deliveries are made per day from Monday to Friday and one on Saturdays”.

But at least we know the operation of the Post Office commenced in January 1925 with a Post Officer Manager, four Postmen and two Telegraph Messengers. The Inglewood Post Office opened on July 1st 1949, which relieved some of the pressure on the Mount Lawley Post Office. In 1997 the post office was moved to its current address at 652 Beaufort Street. The last postmaster at #669 was Mr Steve Johns. In December 1998, the Australian Postal Commission put the old post office at 669 Beaufort Street up for sale by auction. It was bought by Dalcorp Holdings and developed into today’s flourishing coffee arcade. The end of an era!