Dunlop’s/Kim Sun Young Hair Beauty Wedding – Strathfield, NSW
Kim Sun Young provides Strathfield with its hair, beauty and wedding needs, but the dirty alley behind the shop gives us a history lesson.
I’m guessing it was a shoe shop. Why you would advertise in any way in such a dingy back alley escapes me, but I imagine that they chose to put up a Dunlops sign to discourage thieves who were perhaps expecting Nikes. That said, for all I know it could have been a golf ball shop and the sign’s there to discourage thieves expecting Titleists. And if you think I made a baseless comment just now about varying quality of golf balls, don’t think I didn’t do my homework.
UPDATE: Turns out I didn’t do my homework. Dunlop’s was actually a clothing and haberdashery store, and existed until at least 1980. Before that it was Reynolds’ Drapery. Mine was a pretty good guess though, right? Big thanks to Cathy Jones and her Strathfield History Images blog!
Penshurst Squash & Fitness Centre/Residential – Penshurst, NSW
I could be wrong about this one, but let’s take a look anyway.
Despite promises of being ‘open 7 days’, I’ve not seen this place open for years. It certainly wasn’t open today.
This sign suggests that the centre hasn’t been open since 2008, and I’m willing to go with that. Also, let’s not forget the first rule of Past/Lives – if your phone number doesn’t have eight digits, you’re fair game.
Scripture Book Centre/Spice World – Bankstown, NSW
Before Ginger, Posh and Baby moved in, this was the place to go in Bankstown for your scripture book needs. Back in the late 80s and early 90s though, before it was the Scripture Book Centre, this and the neighbouring ‘Funland Games’ building were the Spin Out video arcade. If anyone has any pictures or further information about Spin Out, please let Past/Lives know.
These shops sit on the Appian Way, Bankstown, across from Bankstown Square. In 1954, the Appian Way was home to the *chortle* S & M Fox Institute, an x-ray clinic where checks were compulsory in the 50s and 60s. If you were content to stay home with your terminal case of TB just because you didn’t want a dose of pure radiation, you were fined no less than 20 pounds. Just think – adjusted for inflation that’s the equivalent of a big cash settlement from the NSW Government for having contracted cancer from dodgy x-rays in today’s money.
Westpac/85°C Bakery Cafe – Hurstville, NSW
As everyone knows, there’s nothing more tragic than the closure of a bank branch. Get your tissues ready.
Here, Hurstville’s obnoxiously named ‘The Spot’ proves that at some point, the heat became too much for Westpac to stand, and even after they got out of the kitchen the temperature continued to rise until the 85°C Bakery Cafe burst into existence. What The Spot was before the heatwave began remains a hot topic.
UPDATE:
Forest Road, 1937. Image courtesy Hurstville Council.
Here’s an old picture of The Spot in 1937, when it was the Coo-ee Clothing store. Pretty exciting, I know, but given how many views this particular entry gets (LOTS), someone’s been hanging out for it.
Newsagent/residential – St Peters, NSW
What’s clear is that this now-residential address on Princes Highway at St Peters was once a newsagent. What isn’t clear (but will be shortly) is that in 1950, this newagent sold the first-prize winning lotto ticket for Lottery No. 2154.
Image from Barrier Miner, 11 Oct 1950.
Past/Lives of the Near Future 