Founded in 1953 by workers from the Post Master General’s Department, Post Tels began as a simple idea: bring people together through basketball. Playing originally as the Postals, the club was built by volunteers who dyed their own uniforms, prepared their own courts, and turned up every week regardless of conditions. In the early years, games were played wherever space could be found — from the Wool Court at the RNA Exhibition Grounds to a converted concrete slab at Crosby Park — reflecting both the scarcity of facilities and the determination of the people behind the club.

As Brisbane basketball grew, so did Post Tels. The club navigated constant venue changes, temporary mergers, and periods of rebuilding, including a brief union as “Lang Park” before returning to independence in the mid-1960s. Paddington Plaza became the heart of Brisbane basketball, transformed from a cinema into a full-sized indoor court, complete with an electronic scoreboard built by Postals technicians themselves. When a court ruling forced its closure in 1971, the club adapted again — competing out of an uninsulated Albion warehouse and still pushing teams into finals under brutal conditions.

The turning point came in 1973 with the opening of Auchenflower Stadium, a purpose-built, two-court facility that matched the best in Australia and was constructed with direct input from Post Tels players. This era also marked real progress: women were formally welcomed into the club for the first time, going on to win interstate competition and gain national representation. Through hardship, innovation, and community effort, Post Tels proved it was more than a basketball club — it was, and remains, a resilient institution shaped by the people who refused to let it fade.