Happy Friday!
Today’s Friday History story is about a milk bar. You may say, “Not another one!” But yes, Bunyip had many places where you could buy ice cream and lollies.
We go back a long time ago, not to my own memories this time, but to a well-known fact. Sisters Miss Janie Warwick and Miss Helen Warwick had a little confectionery shop in Main Street, Bunyip, back in the 1920s.
For this story, however, we travel down to the corner of Iona Road (yes, that is what it was called), Modella Road, and Garfield Road (yes, that was its name too, before it became the Longwarry–Nar Nar Goon Road).
A little milk bar stood on that corner, and the building is still there today, now home to the Bunyip Veterinary Clinic.
Back when it was a milk bar, the first owner I remember was Janie Streeter. I don’t remember anyone calling her Mrs Streeter—she was always simply Janie Streeter. Her beloved husband was Reg Streeter, who worked just down the road in his garage, BGS Motors. Their home was the first house beside Bunyip State School, as it was known back then. It was certainly a handy location for the Streeter family to get to work each day.
Can you imagine being a student at Bunyip State School and, at lunchtime, being able to walk down to the milk bar to buy a meat pie, an ice cream and a bag of lollies?
Around 1969, a meat pie in Australia typically cost between 5 and 12 cents. When your pocket money was about 20 cents, it could easily cover a meat pie for lunch, a small drink, and still leave enough spare change for lollies. And remember, 2 cents bought a lot of lollies back then!
I can even remember one Sunday not leaving my two cents in the collection plate at St Andrew’s Church. Instead, I walked home with a little white paper bag full of lollies. After Janie Streeter, the milk bar was run by Joan Ledger, and later by Ethel Emms. There are many wonderful memories connected with these ladies too.
(Perhaps their families might like to add some memories in the comments.)
It was such a handy little spot—a milk bar where you could stop for groceries, buy an ice cream, nearby filling the car with petrol and even make a phone call from the nearby public telephone box.
Today, the building is home to the Bunyip Veterinary Clinic. It’s lovely knowing the history of the building while seeing it continue to serve our community.
When Neil and Ian took over the building, it already had a rich history. Now, many years later, its story continues through the hundreds of pets that have passed through its doors. If only the animals could talk—they would have some wonderful stories to tell.
Footnote: Another Bunyip building lovingly painted by Ray Veenstra. 👨🎨
Happy day #lovealwayshenry#storybydaffy#picbyai