Elise Barney (nee Rivers) was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1815 and died on 5 July 1883 in Fortitude Valley, Queensland, Australia. Elise was appointed as the first full-time female postmistress at Brisbane (1855-1863), following the death of her husband Leiut. John Edward Barney. John and Elise Barney arrived in Queensland in 1848. Go to biography.