Community & Business
2 March, 2026
Vintage silver service set finds its way home
The Pioneer Historical Village has received a vintage silver service set that belonged to the Wyatt family in Pittsworth in the mid 1900s.
The set has been donated by sisters Margaret Greinke and Suzanne Porche (both nee Wyatt), who travelled from Ipswich last week to deliver the silver service set to the volunteers of the Pioneer Village.
The set belonged to their parents, Ronald and Jane Wyatt.
Ronald, who was from Charleville, began working for the Post Office service in 1925.
Throughout the years, he progressed from one role to another - telegram boy, postman, counter server, and even telegrapher sending and receiving Morse Code messages during the war, out near Longreach.
Ronald operated the counter at the Pittsworth Post Office under Post Master R. B. Dixon (1949-56).
He was promoted to Acting Post Master when Mr Dixon was ill and unable to continue his duty at that time.
Margaret and Suzanne were born in Pittsworth and still have very fond memories of the place that has “always been home” to them.
Suzanne remembers her mother using the silver service set only for entertaining and special occasions such as a visit from the Post Office Inspector.
It was always accompanied by the Royal Doulton dinner set.
Margaret remembered visiting the Pittsworth Post Office as a child and seeing her father working busily behind the counter serving customers.
The silver service set has been in Suzanne’s care, and made an appearance at dinner parties over the years, but no family members had shown any interest in inheriting the vintage set.
It didn’t take long for the sisters to decide that the Pioneer Village was the best place for it - a place where it would mean something to both them and the residents of Pittsworth.
It was nostalgic moment for Margaret and Suzanne to visit the old Post Office building and telephone exchange while they were at the Pioneer Village.
The original building opened in 1882.
It was called Beauaraba Post Office and was situated in Yandilla Street.
Only the front room was used as the Post Office and the rest of the building was the Post Master’s living quarters, until a new residence was purchased in 1960.
The building was relocated to the Pittsworth Pioneer Historical Village in 1987.
