Special post office at Ferry mead carnival

Press, 29 March 1980, Page 11

Special post office at Ferry mead carnival

Visitors to Ferrymead's Ea'ster carnival will he able to post a letter at the museum’s own post office. A post office, dating from about 1910 or 1920, will be set up by the Ferrymead Post and Telegraph Society.

The office will officially be opened at 2 p.m.' on Easter Saturday and will be open for the three days of the Carnival.

Mail posted at the office would be stamped with a special Ferrymead stamp, said the secretary of the Post and Telegraph Society (Mr B. L. Pattrick). A special first-day cover would also be issued.

The job of converting an old building, which originally came from Christchurch Airport, had not been easy, Mr Pattrick

said. Painters were still at work on the job. After the Carnival, the post office would be at Ferrymead as a display, but not as a functioning post office. Postal displays would be the main feature of the office, said Mr Pattrick. Displays of telegraphic equipment would be included if there was enough room. The post office, which was at the Truscotts Road end of Ferrymead, would be only a temporary display, said Mr Pattrick. . The Post and Telegraph Society had plans to build a large-scale replica of an early rural post office in two or three years.

The opening of the post office will be only one of many events at Ferrymead during the Carnival. The president of the Ferrymead Trust (Mr D.

Muir)’ said he expected as many' as 40,000 people to visit the park to see displays of glass-blowing and gymnastics. There would also be displays of old-time dancing, Morris dancing, Chilean dancing, and '• German shepherd dogs, and various films would be shown. Between 20 and 40 teams were expected to enter a tug-of-war championship. which would be held on the Saturday, said Mr Muir.

A licensed booth would be set up in the new fire museum, and there would be other sideshows and food stalls, he said. A busker would perform in the bar.

In addition, all the displays at Ferrymead would be open and working, said Mr Muir. Normal admission charges would be made.