Mick Slocum, 76, has spent two years restoring colonial-era pillar boxes across Victoria. This initiative began after Slocum cleaned graffiti from a pillar box.
Australia Post provides payment for each completed pillar, and a supplier offers paint. Slocum conducts restorations without modern tools, a process that can take from several days to multiple weeks per box.
Pillar boxes, introduced in Australia during the 1850s, served as a primary communication method prior to the widespread use of telephones. They were decommissioned starting in the 1960s, at which point they were sealed and painted uniformly red. Slocum removes this top coat to reveal original colors, typically red, gold, and green.
Discoveries made during restoration include a golden crown on a Collingwood pillar box, believed to be related to Queen Elizabeth's 1954 visit, and a 1920s collection notice in Jolimont.
Approximately 180 pillar boxes remain in Victoria, with Slocum having restored 70 to date. He received a National Trust conservation award in May 2025 for his work in Ballarat, where he refurbished 16 pillar boxes. Slocum plans to restore 1920s and 1930s electricity boxes in the future, having already completed two of an estimated 50 in the CBD.