My father had a shoe repair business in the middle shop which was in Garden Street next to the methodist church The first shop I can't remember what they sold but I can remember one year they had it full of christmas trees. The shop on the other side of my father's shop was the ESand A bank for some time. The shop on the corner over the lane was Pettigrew's Garage. The brickwork on the extreme left were the garages behind Rockman's behind the stop sign is the RSL. My father was there from 1953 to 1956 then sold to Zenon Miltiados and went back to the SEC for a more comfortable life.
Brian Langdon the radio repair man had the shop nearest the picture theatre, then there was ours, Horrie Devine fuel merchant and other things (undertaker) Arthur Oliver Bike shop, a Nursery and Cook's Jewellers - six shops in all. The shops... were pulled down in either 1953 or 54 and the new one built in Garden Street and around the corner (can't remember the name of the street that went passed the Police Station.)
I know that we were in the new shop in 1954 as I had been off school for three months with a broken leg and it was an effort to walk the extra distance to the new shop after school. When my leg was taken out of plaster we used to play football in the park near the band rotunda and wegot into trouble if we kicked the ball into the rotunda an we damaged the flowers so we kicked it over the hotel into the open bar. Thats where I heard my first swearing. The park footballers were myself, Colin Lawton, David Hebb, David Head Colin Sparrow and Peter Ganz We used to send Peter Ganz to get the ball and then yell out to the gardeners so that he would get into trouble.
One of the funniest things I ever saw was Mrs Ganz running to Hinkleys Milk Bar to get a carton of cirarettes because she had run out. m She never had a mouth without a cigarette in it. It also used to amuse us whan she called the kids. Rex Peter Reggie. Rex was the dog and it always came first.
Zenon worked for my father for about five years. He made excellent shoes and I had privately made shoes made by Zenon when I attended primary school because i had crook feet. Zenon bought the shop off my father in 1956 and we shifted to Newborough. He is a fantastic person and as far as I know he is still alive. I think his wife and daughters have passed away. He was like a second father to me.
....by David Grant