The Mataura Island Post Office And Telephone Bureau is conducted at the homestead of Mrs C. Cameron, and mails are received and despatched on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The post office was opened in 1895, and telephone communication was established two years later.

Mrs Christina Cameron , who acts as Postmistress at Mataura Island, was born in Argyleshire, Scotland, where she was educated. In 1874, she married Mr Allan Cameron, and in the same year came out to Port Chalmers with her husband by the ship “Auckland.” Mr and Mrs Cameron went, as a married couple to Earnscleugh station, at the Dunstan, for about two years, and were afterwards at Glenburn station and at Beaumont station, near Wrey's Bush, for similar periods. In March, 1889, Mrs Cameron acquired about 200 acres of freehold land at Mataura Island, which she has since worked as a mixed farm. She gives special attention to dairying, and in 1904 had twenty-seven cows in milk. When bought, the land was swampy and overgrown with raupo, but it has since been drained and laid down in English grasses. Mrs Cameron has four sons and four daughters.

Carnie, Charles , Farmer, “Birchwood,” Mataura Island. Mr Carnie was born in 1858, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where he was educated and brought up to farming. He came to Port Chalmers, in 1877, by the ship “Oamaru,” and for the first three years after his arrival worked in the Taieri district. With a partner, Mr Carnie afterwards engaged in farming in the Hindon district, and then removed to Otautau, where he was fanning on his own account for five years. He subsequently acquired a property at the upper end of Mataura Island, but sold out in 1897, and purchased “Birchwood,” which consists of 777 acres of freehold. The land was then wet and swampy, and involved considerable expenditure on ditching, draining and banking, but now, with the exception of about 100 acres, it is all under cultivation, and in front of the homestead there is a pretty lagoon. Mr Carnie has served as a director of the local dairy factory. He was married, in 1878, to a daughter of Mr John McCabe, of Green Island, and has four sons and six daughters.

Gerstenkorn, photo.
Mr. C. Carnie.

Mccauchan, Patrick , Farmer, “Greenwood,” Mataura Island. Mr McCaughan was born in 1866, in County Antrim, Ireland, where he was educated. He found employment in farm work until coming to Port Chalmers by the s.s. “Coptic “in 1887. Mr McCaughan settled in the Wyndham district, where he worked until 1892, when he commenced farming at Menzes Ferry. Three years later, he sold out, and removed to Mataura Island, where he bought 120 acres, then mostly covered with black pine. With the exception of about ten acres, the bush has since been cleared, and the property is worked chiefly as a dairy farm; twenty-two cows were in milk in 1904. Mr McCaughan has been a member of the Mataura Island school committee since 1900. He was married, in May, 1892, to a daughter of Mr John Bigwood, saddler, Mataura, and has two sons and five daughters.