Keysbrook General Store

Statement of Significance

The Keysbrook General Store (fmr) has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: • The place provided postal services to Keysbrook and surrounding district for at least 50 years. • The place, with its distinctive three gable roofs and verandah, makes a positive contribution to the Elliot Road streetscape and is a local landmark on the corner of South Western Highway.

Physical Description

The former Keysbrook General Store is located on the corner of Elliott Road and South Western Highway. It is set back from the Highway. The single storey building addresses Elliot Road and is constructed of brick and concrete block. The walls are painted except for the west elevation which remains face brick. The concrete block has a consistent textured face. Windows are timber framed and there are highlight windows to the central entry doors and window. The gable and hip roof is clad with corrugated steel. There are exposed timber rafter ends at the eaves. Three gable roof forms and a skillion roof verandah face Elliott Road. The gable roofs have box gutters between the gables. The verandah has square timber posts. The gable ends are clad with compressed fibre cement sheeting with cover battens. Two gable ends have decorative scalloped bargeboards and one has a fixed vent. The place has a lean-to addition to the rear of the building and it is currently a Solar Pumps retail outlet. There is an Australia Post mailbox adjacent to the building under the verandah.

History

The Keysbrook Post Office was established c.1918.(1) Bessie Bee was probably the first Keysbrook Postmistress and she held the position for 17 years. Bessie’s husband, Richard, was a farmer/cattle breeder. They were originally from Lancashire and arrived in Australia around 1911 with their two sons, Tom and Leslie.(2) Mrs Bessie Bee purchased Lot 37 (adjoining the store) for £10 in 1927 in a government land sale.(3) A telephone exchange was installed at the Keysbrook Post Office in 1932. (4) It is likely that the Bees operated both a general store and a post office from the building on the corner of Elliott (Station) Road and the highway. In March 1933, Bessie retired, and her son Leslie Rawsthorne Bee became the registered Postmaster of Keysbrook. Leslie’s wife, Florence, also worked at the post office. They employed assistants in 1938 and 1944. War time restrictions on fuel made it difficult for the Bees to collect the mail using their trucks and they had to use Florence’s Morris Minor instead. (5) A description of the store in 1940 advised that in addition to a general store and post office agency, Leslie Bee also operated a garage and service station from the Keysbrook Store. (6) By 1947, the building was becoming ‘too cramped to effectively handle increased traffic of Post Office business’ and Leslie applied for a building permit. The plans were approved through the State Housing Commission and a building permit was issued in June 1948 for a ‘16’ x 16’ brick and iron addition’ to the value of £200. (7) In February 1951, Leslie Bee sold the store to Wilfred Rogers. Wilfred’s wife, Carmel, also worked at the post office. They sold it to Leonard George Green in February 1958. Leonard and his wife Evelyn operated the post office until at least 1966. (8) In 2022, the building is used as a solar pump store. An Australia Post mailbox is located outside the building.

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Historic Themes

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