Esther the last post mistress to work in the MacGillivray Post Office

Esther and the Historic MacGillivray Post Office

In the heart of Kangaroo Island’s MacGillivray district stood a modest timber and iron home nestled amongst the narrow-leaf mallee scrub, a house that would become a lifeline to the outside world. This was the home of Esther Doreen Kent (née Wittwer, 1912–2010), who was the last postmistress of the MacGillivray Post Office, which closed in 1952.

The post office itself had been built in 1909, and was described as an “old iron shed”, but for decades, it served as a vital hub of communication for the remote farming community.

Esther arrived at Emu Ridge in 1938 as a newlywed, moving into the four-roomed home. Her husband, Joe Kent, was distilling eucalyptus oil and managing the Emu Ridge farm for F.H. Fauldings & Co. Though simple, the home welcomed her with its fresh paint, verandas, and a fertile flat below where Joe had begun a vegetable patch. With water carried in buckets and no modern conveniences, life was anything but easy, but Esther made it beautiful.

Soon after settling in, Esther was asked by neighbours, the Rymills, to take over the MacGillivray Post Office and telephone exchange. At the time, there were just three phone subscribers and six families collecting mail. It was a humble beginning, but for Esther. It brought connection, purpose and a telephone in the house!

From 1938 to 1952, Esther managed the post office from the small iron shed near their home. She was meticulous, reliable, and kind, always keeping her home and work neat and welcoming. In addition to her postal duties, she milked cows, made butter, tended gardens grown with water carried by hand, and raised six children, all without electricity, plumbing, or a washing machine. For a time, she even taught her eldest children via correspondence school.

Esther with baby Bill around 1940

In the final years of operation, as government surveys were conducted to assess whether the post office should remain open, Esther did her part to try and keep the service alive. Bev recalled speaking with Mrs. Kent, she fondly remembered how she would encourage her neighbors to send out extra letters, anything to prove the little outpost was still vital to the community.

Neighbours remember Esther as practical and cheerful, riding her bicycle to nearby farms, sharing plant cuttings, and transforming the dusty surrounds into a vibrant garden of hardy geraniums and painted kerosene-tin flowerpots.

Esther with Bill, Bob, and Joyce around 1944

While Joe worked tirelessly at Fauldings farm and eucalyptus distillery. Esther kept the community connected, one letter and telegram at a time. Her quiet dedication not only supported her family but also stitched the fabric of a remote island community.

When the post office closed in 1952, it marked the end of an era. But Esther’s legacy as MacGillivray’s final postmistress lives on, a symbol of resilience, service, and the everyday strength of country women.

This building,  just an “old iron shed” linked families, farms, and friendships across Kangaroo Island.

Larry’s family bought Emu Ridge in 1978 and his father Ralph used the foundations and all that was left of this house as a shearing shed and sheep yards and later we used it as a storage shed and chicken coop, now in 2025 it is all gone.

This information was given to me by Joyce Kent, luckily a small family booklet was written with the history of Esther and Joe Kent before their passing.

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