My great-grandfather, Harry Steed and his son both started their working lives as telegram messengers. Did you know you needed to pass an exam to be appointed?

Being a telegram messenger, also known as a telegraph messenger, was a popular job. Examinations were held all over the country, and boys who were successful had good prospects for promotion as they got older. Applications had to be lodged at least two days before the examination, and required completing an official form and paying a five shilling fee.

I’ve found advertisements in newspapers and the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette for the examination Harry completed on the afternoon of Saturday 1 May 1915. He’d turned fifteen in February, so he met the age requirements.

At the end of May, it was reported Harry was successful in the examination, which included handwriting, spelling and arithmetic. Along with other candidates, his marks were printed in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette of 29 May, and show he got almost full marks in spelling.

Passing the examination didn’t always mean a job was available straight away, but it did get the boys on a merit list for eighteen months. Harry was appointed fairly quickly and became a telegram messenger at North Sydney Post Office from 31 July 1915. His annual salary was reported as £39, later increasing to £52.

He would have carried a leather delivery bag, and worn an official cap and uniform made out of dark, heavy material. The trousers were apparently reinforced to help survive long days riding a bicycle.

To be appointed, messengers also had to show evidence of their date of birth, and a medical certificate to prove good health. The job only lasted a couple of years because messengers were required to retire from the service at eighteen, unless they’d qualified for a promotion by then.

In November 1917, Harry successfully sat another examination, this time to qualify for a promotion. Soon after he became a mail assistant. Consequently his salary increased to £78.

However, within months Harry turned eighteen and enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). He was given a leave of absence without pay, but appears to have officially resigned in October 1919.

Eventually Harry returned to work for the Postmaster General’s Department, and in 1924 he was appointed as a postman at North Sydney, earning £202.

Selected references

‘Telegraph Messengers. Wanted.’, The Sun, 1 April 1915, p.10, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article229324857, accessed 31 August 2025.

‘Commonwealth Public Service. Examination No. 597. For Appointment as Telegraph Messenger.’, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 24 April 1915, Issue number 32, p.744, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232451646, accessed 31 August 2025.

‘Commonwealth Public Service. Examination No. 597. For Appointment as Telegraph Messenger.’, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 29 May 1915, Issue number 47, p.1027, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232452163, accessed 31 August 2025.

‘Telegraph Messengers’, Sunday Times, 30 May 1915, p. 15, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article120809459, accessed 2 February 2025.

‘Postmaster-General’s Department. New South Wales. Appointments Confirmed.’, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 30 March 1916, Issue number 40, p.709, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232468361, accessed 31 August 2025.

‘Postmaster-General’s Department. New South Wales.’, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 31 August 1916, Issue number 116, p.2208, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232454945, accessed 31 August 2025.

‘Commonwealth Public Service. Examination No. 706. To Enable Telegraph Messengers to Qualify for Promotion to a Higher Position in the General Division.’, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 6 December 1917, Issue number 212, p.3328, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232450273, accessed 31 August 2025.

‘Postmaster-General’s Department. New South Wales. Promotions.’, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 14 February 1918, Issue number 19, p.307, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232463545, accessed 31 August 2025.

‘Postmaster-General’s Department. New South Wales. Services Terminated–Leave of Absence Without Pay.’, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 31 December 1919, Issue number 142, p.2507, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232512964, accessed 31 August 2025.

‘Postmaster-General’s Department. New South Wales. Services Terminated–Resignations.’, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 29 January 1920, Issue number 10, p.107, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232515900, accessed 31 August 2025.

‘Postmaster-General’s Department. New South Wales. Classification of Postmen–New South Wales.’, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 17 February 1924, Issue number 16, p.224, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232529523, accessed 31 August 2025.

‘Postmaster-General’s Department. New South Wales. Appointments.’, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 20 November 1924, Issue number 87, p.2764, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232474754, accessed 31 August 2025.

Photograph of North Sydney Post Office, Harold Cazneaux, c1927-1931, North Sydney, Yr8EBo7n, Out of copyright: Created before 1955, digitised copy held by the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales.