Narrandera Post Office closed this week when lead contamination was identified in one of the back-of-house rooms during a routine check of the building.

An Australia Post spokesperson said following health advice, the post office was closed and Australia Post was in the process of trying to get a temporary post office up and running to service the town.

“The Narrandera Post Office has been closed as a precautionary measure following the detection of a lead contaminant within a back room area,” the spokesperson confirmed.

“The health and safety of our team members is our number one priority. There is no risk to post office customers or members of the public and only minor delays to the delivery of mail and parcels for the area.

“We thank customers for their patience and understanding as we work as quickly as possible to establish a temporary post office in Narrandera.”

Parcels awaiting collection and post office box mail will be available from Tuesday, September 3, at the rear-end of the Narrandera Post Office site at 140 East Street.

Lead contamination is often cause by lead-based paint, which was commonly used on houses built before 1970.

Lead dust can also be from industrial and domestic sources in soil and in roof and wall cavities.

The Post Office is one of Narrandera’s historical buildings. In 1897, the Government purchased, through an Act of Parliament, the land belonging to the Catholic Church on the corner of Twynam and East Streets, which had improvements of a church and school.

After much public agitation, the construction of a post office finally began in early 1900, with Mr R L Thompson winning the building tender. A memorial stone was laid in July 1900 by the Minister for Public Works, the Hon. E W O’Sullivan and the completed post and Telegraph office opened in December 1900.

The existing two-storey red brick building was designed by the Government Architect Office in a Queen Anne style with portico at the entry and covered verandah over the private post boxes. The ground floor featured separate postal and telegraph departments, while the first floor was a residence for the postmaster.

Australia Post does intend to install a temporary building and is looking at possible sites in Narrandera. Narrandera Community Transport will run a bus service to Yanco Post Office today for the public to access mail, banking, and bill payment services.

This article appeared in the  Narrandera Argus, 5 September 2024.