Boolaroo Bulletin Centenary Issue

Business History

[BBc: Community History] [BB Menu] [BBc: Main Road]
Lance Needs Pty Ltd Bakeries
The Store Banking Facilities
Westlakes Printers H.C.B. Electric
Shinny's Pub Long-Airdox
Speers Point Hotel


[Contents] [Bakeries]

BUTCHERY - LANCE NEEDS PTY LTD
64 YEARS of Service to the Community: The Needs Family butchery has been operating since 1934. The oldest butchery in the shire and is still trading after 64 years. Congratulations to the Needs family!

[Butchery] [Contents] [The Store]

BAKERIES
THE first bakery in Boolaroo was established by Matthew Copeland in Second Street, nearly opposite the Sulphide Hotel, in approximatley 1909. Thomas Hitchcock who previously operated a bakery in Teralba (site unknown) operated a bakery in Boolaroo from 1909 to late 1910. This bakery was built at the rear of 268 Main Road, Boolaroo (corner of Third Street). From 1920 until mid 1922 the bakery was controlled by Percy Thompson of the well-known Thompson bakery family of Wallsend. In 1922 the bakery was returned to T. Hitchcock who operated it until late 1923. From 1924 to 1925 it was operated by Clarence Watkins. In December 1925 Essex Hamonet bought the business and continued to operate until May 1949. The bakery building and adjoining shop and residence was purchased by G. Hawkins & Sons and demolished to make way for the mixed business currently occupying the site. (*The Boolaroo Co-operative Society was established in 1912 and during 1920-21 built and operated a bakery in Third Street).

[Bakeries] [Contents] [Banking Facilities]

THE STORE
Growth and Expansion in the early years:
THE Store opened for business on 6 January 1913 with 44 members. At the end of the first year the membership had increased to 81 and members received a divvy. The war years showed a steady growth and at the end of 1917 members were 217. In 1920, 343 members. In 1922 when the Sulphide Corporation's smelting works ceased operations 100 of the Society's members left for employment purposes. In 1934 there were 627 members.

[The Store] [Contents] [Westlakes Printers]

BANKING FACILITIES "THEN and NOW"
Boolaroo Post Office:
IN 1899 J.W. Findlay who owned a store at Hoolaroo wrote to the Department requesting that a receiving office be established at Boolaroo, at his store as he was a licensed stamp vendor. It was declined, as there was an existing post office at the Cockle Creek Railway Station. As population expanded in Boolaroo, it was approved that an official post & telegraph office with full facilities should be opened. The building was completed in January 1901 and opened for business 1 March 1901. The first "postie" Frederick Hindley walked 11 miles a day until he was granted an allowance for a horse and feed.

Banking:
The Bank of N.S.W. was established in 1935 with an agency and later in 1937 it became a branch, and transferred to a new site on the corner of Fourth street, where the Boolaroo Medical Group have their surgery, in 1955.

Times have changed:
For the past two years the focal point of all postal and banking needs has been well serviced by Carol Springall, Postal Manager, who owns and operates Boolaroo Licensed Post Office in Main Road. Carol opens early and is dedicated to her business, working long days, yet still finding time to be the Secretary of the Boolaroo/Speers Point Chamber of Commerce. Although there are automatic teller machines in town, they won't smile and find time to be friendly - like Carol!.

[Banking] [Contents] [HCB Electric]

WESTLAKES PRINTERS
If you drive up second street in search of the remains of the Sulphide Hall you will find a very successful business - Westlakes Printers, which was started in the early days by Ken Fulton. Established in 1960, this family business has grown since Ken, a young apprentice purchased a machine and began to print cards from his bedroom at home in Toronto in 1948. He expanded his small business out into his backyard and as the business grew moved to commercial premises in Toronto. In 1959 Ken, and Alan Reid who ran the Picture Theatre at Speers Point joined together and published the Westlakes Advertiser. The purchase of the Buffalo's Hall (formerly Sulphide Hall) in 1960 began the successful printing business that Ken's son, Tony Fulton is the Managing Director of and employs 18 staff. Tony and his staff provide good ol' fashioned customer service and are well respected in Lake Macquarie and all over the Hunter Region. A thriving business after 38 years in Boolaroo.

[Westlakes Printers] [Contents] [Shinny's Pub]

H.C.B. ELECTRIC PTY LTD
Three Generations - Celebrating 50 Years
H.C.B. Electric Pty Ltd have been operating in the Newcastle area since 1948. Jack Haggerston began the company with his wife, Alice as company secretary. The company vehicle in those days was an Essex sedan with the ladders strapped to the mudguards, with other equipment kept on the back seat! In later years H.C.B. became Hotpoint agents, and were kept very busy working in households. Jack's background was in the industrial contracting field and then the company diversified in the commercial area. Jack's humble beginnings were essential to gain knowledge and expertise that Jack's son Peter and his two grandsons, Michael and John Haggerston carry on today, and in 1998 are celebrating their SOth Anniversary. Today there are work vans seen with the HCB company logo, scurrying to and from the Boolaroo office and base. Congratulations to the H.C.B. company on the renovations to the building in H.C.B.'s Main Road location which has restored the original building and adjoining shops to the high standards that their company has achieved over the past 50 years.

[H.C.B. Electric] [Contents] [Long-Airdox]

SHINNY'S PUB -Past & Present
Shinny's Pub was famous as the drinking hole of the Hawkins men, the miners in the district and the Sulphide workers in the early days. In the 1960's to the mid 70s the hotel was the home of the Lake Macquarie Soccer Club. The Shinny's Pub only sold "black beer"(Tooheys Old) and the other Boolaroo Hotel, the Commercial, sold "white beer" (Tooths)- customers had the choice, and either went to one or the other!

Tom Shinfield:
BORN in 1933 at New Lambton in the General Roberts Hotel.
The Shinfield family moved to the Sulphide Hotel, Corner of Lakeview and Second Street in 1937. The Hotel was also a boarding house and adjoining it was the Sulphide Hall. Tom's memories are vivid, as a young boy every morning he would watch a continuous stream of people entering the Sulphide Corporation as there were no fences around the plant and the main entrance was in Lakeview Street. The Hawkins family had draft horses and drays and at 6.45am they would head off from huge stables to transport everything, all heavy haulage on the plant was moved by horse and dray. The Hotel was handed on to the Shinfeld family, Cecil & Peg, Tom's parents. Tom lived there for approx. 30 years and managed the hotel to 1967. Tom went into the Fruit & Vegetable business at Swansea then moved back to Speers Point where he still resides today. Tom and wife, Lorraine have been married 45 years and they managed the Edgeworth Tavern for 2 years.

In 1977 Tom was appointed as Assistant Secretary Manager at the Sulphide Welfare Club for two years then returned in 1981 as Poker Machine Manager, then in 1984 appointed as Secretary Manager until 15 September 1998, he retired with a record 14 years of service.

[Shinny's Pub] [Contents] [Speers Point Hotel]

LONG-AIRDOX
Long-Airdox was founded in 1946 as A.B. Rea at Mayfield in Newcastle. Due to business expansion the company was relocated to its present site at Argenton in 1955. During these early years of operation the company was involved in metal fabrication for all forms of industry in the Newcastle region but paid particular attention to the local coal mining industry. During the 1960's and 1970's the company grew gradually and in 1979 became a wholiy owned subsidiary of a Scottish company called Anderson PLC. This company gave A.B. Rea the opportunity to expand its product range in the area of underground coal production equipment while at the same time continuing to let it work on major mine infrastructure projects such as mine storage bins, drift haulage systems and train loading systems.

In 1989 the Company's name was changed from A.B. Rea to Anderson Rea Pty Limited. This change also represented the start of a significant period of growth for the company with sales rising some 360%, employees increasing from 114 to 200 and two new facilities being opened - one in Mt Thorley in the upper Hunter Valley and the other in Mackay in Queensland.

In October 1995 Anderson Rea became part of an American company called the Marmon Group. It then became part of one of the worlds largest mining equipment suppliers, Long-Airdox, which is also owned by Marmon. Gateway Engineering also came under the control of Argenton's Long-Airdox facility. In total today Long-Airdox Australia employs approximately 300 people Australia-wide at four sites on the East Coast of Australia.

'Long-Airdox is proud of its heritage in the Argenton and lake communities. Without this region's committed people we would certainly not have achieved all that we have to date and are planning to achieve in the future'.

[Long-Airdox] [Contents]

SPEERS POINT HOTEL
In the late 1800's the Hotel was built by Tom Williams, a builder who built many hotels in the area including the Lake Macquarie Hotel in Teralba in 1888. The building has changed over the years, structually and also owners, yet the location's beautiful outlook over Lake Macquarie and Speers Point Park will never change. The hotel has been sold recently, so we say farewell to popular Jeff Byrnes, after 11 years. Jeff would like to thank all his loyal customers, he enjoyed their company and the many diners who patronised Pippy's Restaurant over this time. New owners are Pauline and John Stirling and Lyn and Colin McCrohon, who also own The Kent and Beaumont Exchange Hotels, both at Hamilton. Speaking briefly with Pauline Stirling, there will be no major changes initially, Pauline is very fond of the area and feels Speers Point and surrounding areas have plenty of potential for future development.

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