Mother and daughter keep Wollongbar post office in the family

A MOTHER and daughter team is keeping Wollongbar Licensed Post Office at the centre of the local community, with Sharon Dransfield and daughter Taylor working side by side to grow the family business.

Sharon Dransfield has operated the Wollongbar Licensed Post Office since 2013 after leaving a career in banking to invest in the business with her husband.

Over the years, she has expanded it into a well-known local service point, growing both its retail offering and delivery operations.

“I just felt it was time to step up from banking and go and do something for ourselves,” Sharon said.

“Taylor is my youngest, so she would have been about 12 when we bought the business.”

Taylor was first introduced to the post office at the age of 12, helping out on weekends and during school holidays before pursuing other work as she grew older.

“Out of all my children she was the most interested at that time,” Sharon said.

“She would come out on weekends or school holidays and want to be involved.”

After the disruptions caused by the 2022 floods, Taylor returned to the family business full-time, taking on responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the post office while Sharon focused on delivery contracts and logistics.

Sharon said Taylor’s return helped strengthen the business.

“I didn’t feel she just took it on as a job. She actually wanted to be part of the family business at that stage so that was great.”

The pair now work together full-time, managing different sides of the operation while meeting daily to coordinate priorities.

“Taylor manages the post office, and we get together for probably about an hour a day where we cross over and check what’s happening in both of the sections,” Sharon said.

While the arrangement has strengthened their working relationship, Sharon said it also reflects the trust she has in Taylor’s ability to lead the business into the future.

“I’m very proud of what she’s achieved being so young,” she said.

“She could run this business. She could take it over if she wanted to.”

Taylor also assists with delivery work, including parcel sorting and local runs when needed, with Sharon describing their time on the road together as a mix of teamwork and humour.

“I’m not sure she really likes my jokes, but we have a pretty good time,” she said.

“She’s just much faster and much more organised than I am.”

As a family business, Sharon said balancing the mother and daughter dynamic has come naturally, particularly as Taylor has taken on more responsibility.

“I think we get on very well,” she said.

“I think because we’re not in each other’s pockets, she has stepped up and runs the business as if it was her own, so she takes those proper financial and stock ordering responsibilities very seriously.”

Sharon said the working relationship has also helped them stay closely connected since Taylor moved out of home.

“Taylor doesn’t live at home anymore, so it’s a good thing that we get back together during the day,” she said.

Beyond the family dynamic, Sharon said local post offices continue to play an important role in regional communities, particularly in places like Wollongbar where personal connection remains central to customer service.

She said staff build strong relationships with customers and often anticipate their needs before they walk through the door.

“The girls see the customers coming and have their parcels ready to go before they’ve even walked in the door,” she said.

“So they know people by name and they’re always eager to assist.”

With Mother’s Day just passed, Sharon said working alongside her daughters has made the occasion especially meaningful.

“For me, it’s great to have my daughter,” she said.

“I actually have another daughter that works for us as well, but she lives in Brisbane.”

“So she actually does all our paperwork, and we scan that up to her, so we talk to her every day as well.”

Looking ahead, Sharon said she hopes the business remains in the family for years to come.

“If she ever wanted to be the owner, if I wanted to retire, that would be my first preference, I guess, to have Taylor continue with this,” she said.

“Taylor would be probably the only one in the family to take it on, and she has shown in leaps and bounds that she is fully capable of that.”

Taylor said working alongside family comes with occasional challenges but believes the shared responsibility has helped shape the evolution of the business.

“Running a business with family will always have its challenges that’s for sure. We butt heads and have different opinions on what will work and what won’t but at the end of the day it all works out,” she said.

“When I first started, the best compliment was how well Sharon had turned this post office around since the last owner, now the best compliment is how well I keep it running.”