In a time when our heritage is vanishing on a daily basis, here is some good news. Mick Slocum, O.A.M., is slowly restoring the original cast iron pillar boxes around Victoria. The pillar boxes were designed and built in Melbourne from the 1850s and the early ones were painted green.
A Vanished Victoria team member was out for a stroll recently and they came across Mick working on the pillar box in Brighton Road, Elwood and heard his story.
Mick, a former pharmacist and a musician (The Bushwhackers Band), started this project in April 2023 cleaning graffiti from a pillar box in Ascot Vale. After completing six boxes, Australia Post approached him and offered to commission him to restore all the 180 boxes in Victoria. Mick completed sixteen in Ballarat and won the National Trust Ballarat Heritage Award for his work.
The Brighton Road box is his 78th restoration and Mick is to be congratulated and admired for his role in maintaining an every-day part of our heritage in such a practical manner.
they are a celebration of his amazing work.
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