Coraki Post Office
81 Richmond Terrace, Coraki
![Visit Richmond Valley Northern Rivers-01](https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Visit-Richmond-Valley-Northern-Rivers-01-150x150.png)
A community cornerstone bouncing forward
For all that has been thrown at the small town of Coraki in recent times, the owners of the town’s post office are rolling with the punches. The duo behind this essential hub of community life are choosing to see the unique challenges and hardships of the past two years – including the floods of 2022 – as an impetus for improvement, for opportunity, for change.
“We have consciously chosen to view this weather event as an opportunity to reset the post office – not to ‘bounce back’, but rather to ‘bounce forward’,” says Steve Taylor, who owns and runs Coraki Post Office in partnership with Paul Kelly. “It is our view that we want to come back stronger and more effective.”
The post office building on Richmond Terrace, which is more than 130 years old and had never previously been affected by flooding, was badly hit in February 2022. However, Steve and Paul were able to reopen after just 16 days thanks, Steve says, to the “assistance and help from our incredibly supportive community volunteering to help us clean up.”
Further complicating life for Steve and Paul was that their home directly adjoins the post office (a ‘post master’s residence’ typical of this vintage of post office building) and was also flooded. “We were left homeless but thanks once again to our amazing community someone put us up and shared their home while we cleaned up,” Steve says. However, the extra space in the residence subsequently proved useful when dealing with the enormous backlog of mail and parcels that accumulated during the post office’s closure.
“We see ourselves as caretakers of this beacon from the past”
![](https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Coraki-Post-Office.jpeg)
“We had to start using rooms in our home, attached to the post office, as storage for the huge volume of parcels,” says Steve. “We were physically running out of space to store the parcels while we waited for customers to collect them.”
Steve and Paul took over Coraki Post Office in 2017 after careers as public servants. Even as their business has been affected by floods, fires and the pandemic, the rewards of helming such an important local institution remain profound for the pair. Steve talks of the “overwhelming friendliness of the community when we first took over.”
“The other ongoing experience I have is how generous and trusting people are,” he adds. “We are asked to be a distribution point, pass on funds to someone who is owed money, convey a message to a friend or family, hold onto important information for an elderly customer to ensure their independence, and more. Each day is a different adventure.
“The role of a postal manager is varied and complex. We balance the needs of each individual customer with the various legislative frameworks we operate within.”
And what are the plans for ‘bouncing forward ’after the flood damage? Well, they have replaced aged timber furniture with more resilient steel and metal options (including all-important shelving); they have torn up the damaged carpet to reveal vinyl flooring, which will eventually give way to the original teak floorboards beneath; they plan to revamp the front counter to display more stock. Many of the upgrades are in an effort to ensure this venerable, durable old building can withstand flood events of the future.
“We see ourselves as caretakers of this beacon from the past. Our plan is to repair our heritage-listed building to maximise the chances it will last another 130 years, and use the flood as a moment-in-time opportunity to review our business model.”
In the meantime, Coraki Post Office will continue to play its vital community role every day – one that increasingly goes above and beyond what might be expected of a post office.
“In the chaos caused by the event and ensuing maelstrom of conflicting emotions, having one of the community cornerstones still in place, an operational post office, provided people with the confidence they were one more step closer to some semblance of whatever normal is now becoming.”
Share this story
Read more stories
Art of Glass
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Tweed-Coast-Glass_product-shot.jpg 541 817 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Tweed-Coast-Glass_product-shot.jpgTweed Coast Glass
Anyone who lives between the Gold Coast and Ballina with even a passing involvement in the building trade will be familiar with Tweed Coast Glass.
crowd pleasing innovation creates a buzz
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/flow-hive-featured001.jpg 1210 864 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/flow-hive-featured001.jpgBeeInventive
It’s difficult to know where to start with the remarkable story of BeeInventive. Perhaps in the humble shed in Byron Shire bushland…
Spoiled stays for special pets
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/AdobeStock_108062461-scaled.jpg 2560 1600 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/AdobeStock_108062461-scaled.jpgSkye Park Pet Resort
In 2014, a long-held aspiration finally came to fruition for Helen and Ian MacGregor when they purchased an existing pet boarding facility in bucolic Clarenza, with the dream of making it their own.
A planet of business diversity
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Tropical-Fruit-World_Aymon-Gow-Main-Gate.jpg 2016 1512 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Tropical-Fruit-World_Aymon-Gow-Main-Gate.jpgTropical Fruit World
It’s been almost 50 years since Robert and Valorie Brinsmead bought the 200-acre farm in Murwillumbah.
home is where the heart is
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/edmonds-conveyancing-ballina-001.jpg 1920 847 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/edmonds-conveyancing-ballina-001.jpgEdmonds Conveyancing
The legal aspects of buying and selling a property are not normally associated with having a laugh and even singing, but the Edmonds Conveyancing…
take me to the river
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/10986182_733888960072606_3561220566688304460_o.jpg 2048 1536 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/10986182_733888960072606_3561220566688304460_o.jpgGrafton to Yamba Houseboats
The Clarence River, at the southern end of the Northern Rivers, is known colloquially as the ‘Big River’, while its Aboriginal name is ‘Breimbah’ or…
let’s get physical
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/grafton_physio_business_story_001.jpg 2000 1165 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/grafton_physio_business_story_001.jpgGrafton Physio + Sport
You know you’re in good hands when you visit your physiotherapist and she turns out to be a world-class athlete. That’s the case for those who…
In Ventura we trust
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Ventura-Brewing_product-shot.jpg 2500 1667 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Ventura-Brewing_product-shot.jpgVentura Brewing
Ventura is a symbol of luck, chance and good fortune – and while Ventura Brewing’s two founders have had a good dose of all three – it’s mostly been a lot of hard work and focus to launch this craft kombucha brewery amid a global pandemic.
Creativity takes flight
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Honey-Hunt_Jules-Hunt-scaled.jpg 2560 2560 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Honey-Hunt_Jules-Hunt-scaled.jpgHoney Hunt Style
Jules Hunt moved to Byron Bay with her family 15 years ago because she wanted to raise her children with a strong sense of community. It was by chance that this move led to the flourishing of her artistic career – and more recently to her turn as a successful business woman.
Cool to be kind and cans it
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Kind-Coffee-Co.-Product.jpg 957 1277 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Kind-Coffee-Co.-Product.jpgThe Kind Coffee Co.
The KIND Coffee Co, reflects its name in everything it does.
not just a business, a community partner
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/stone-and-wood-001.jpg 960 761 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/stone-and-wood-001.jpgStone & Wood
“That’s like asking parents to name which of their children they prefer,” says Jamie Cook, Stone & Wood co-founder. He has been asked which of the…
Clean green superfood team
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Foods-That-Love-You-Back_Erle.jpg 768 1024 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Foods-That-Love-You-Back_Erle.jpgFoods That Love You Back
Health activist Erle Astrup founded Foods That Love You Back in January 2021, and her business – which has created the world’s first affordable, alkaline shot of concentrated microgreens – is infused with the passion she has for driving it.
fastest growing, remains humble and local
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/tripadeal-byron-bay-002.jpg 1000 667 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/tripadeal-byron-bay-002.jpgTripADeal
For TripADeal, the figures speak for themselves: revenue in excess of $100million for 2017; 75,000 travellers sent to various…
The dream team
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Joel-Jensen_team-photo-scaled.jpg 2560 1707 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Joel-Jensen_team-photo-scaled.jpgJoel Jensen Constructions
Despite the pressures of running an award-winning construction company, there’s one thing Joel Jensen strives to do every day.
Talking together for 50 years
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Jumbunna.jpg 1440 1080 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Jumbunna.jpgJumbunna Community Preschool and Early Intervention Centre
The early childhood sector has played a vital role in supporting communities and families in the Northern Rivers amid the onslaught of challenges in the last three years.
It was time the level the paying field
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Zepto-image-e1669713021167.jpg 1500 562 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Zepto-image-e1669713021167.jpgZepto
What do you do next after more than a decade building up a Byron Bay skydiving business to become a national success and then stepping back after listing it on the Australian Stock Exchange?
riding the wave of success
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/glass-lab-tweed-heads-002.jpg 1000 661 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/glass-lab-tweed-heads-002.jpgThe Glass Lab
Adam Wessel may have worked in surfboard factories since the age of 16, but it was a stint in the luxury yachting industry that sowed the…
the power of the win-win-win sustainability approach
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ENV-Solutions_James-scaled.jpg 2560 1707 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ENV-Solutions_James-scaled.jpgENV Solutions
In less than seven years environmental consultancy ENV Solutions has grown from a one-man band in Ballina to a multi-award winning business with more than 25 staff across three locations…
Passion, patience and protein
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Hemp-Foods_product.jpg 2400 1350 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Hemp-Foods_product.jpgHemp Foods Australia
When Hemp Foods Australia founder, Paul Benhaim, discovered hemp as a food choice in the early 90s during his global travels, he had his own preconceived ideas.
Townsend taproom breakthrough brews
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Sanctus-Brewing.jpg 1123 627 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Sanctus-Brewing.jpgSanctus Brewing Co.
When Sanctus Brewing Co. began life in 2019, there was no indication that the brewery would go on to enjoy the immense success it has over the last three years.