Were You in Darwin When?

by John
(Darwin River)

Were you a student at Darwin Primary School at Frog's Hollow in 1956 or 57 when the steam engine was placed in the playground to play on? Do you remember Quong's Bakery and the DX Bakery? How about the remains of the Vesty's Meat Works? Did you ever watch a western at the Star Theatre on a Wednesday night? Ever try the fish and chips bought through a small window in the Vic Hotel courtyard? Do you remember seeing the wreck of the Neptuna on low tide on it's side near Stokes Hill wharf? Who saw the chimp from the Tarzan films do back flips on the deck of the yacht Sea Fox?

Dairy Queen arrived and changed the eating habits of a generation. Two shops, a small one in Smith Street and a milk bar at Parap. What a treat, chocolate coated soft serve ice cream. Also at Parap were Terry's Buther Shop and a great fish and chip shop. Some of the other shops in Darwin were W.G. Chin & Sons, Tang's, Sue Wah Chin, Chans, Lilian Dean Photos, Ah Toy's, Martin's Newsagency, Jolly's, Charlie Onn's, Gees Supermarket, Cashman's, Izod Motors, Johnson Motors and Fannie Bay Car Sales.

They were the days when the NT News was delivered by paper boy. 8 pence for a paper; 6 pence for the NT News and tuppence and any tips for the paper boy. Each year the NT News sent all their regular paper boys a Christmas bonus. A crisp new 10 shilling note.

Cyclone Tracy blew the old Darwin away. The new one is bigger, brighter and modern. But is it better? Change is inevitable and a lot of the change is for the better. After 60 years in Darwin it is nice to sit back and remember earlier days when life was lived at a slower pace.

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Were You in Darwin When?

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Star theatre and crushed pineapple drinks
by: Deborah

Hi John,
I remember the star picture theatre. My mum used to work in the milk bar in the star village, and my sister and I would call in to see her after school to get a wonderfully icy cold pineapple crush.
We lived in what was then Navy houses on top of the cliff down near the wharf, the road that is there now used to be a part of our front yard! Poor mum would get bogged driving across the new road works. My sister and I spent our childhood playing down near the wharf before it got upgraded. Does anyone remember the iron ore down there? I can still smell it now!
We were also in the junior flyers club and would meet at the old radio station in the road behind where Nirvana restaurant is. My grandad would walk down and catch a fish from the wharf area where the new development is and we would eat it fair breakfast. Does anyone remember the tram where you could go and buy fish n chips? I also used to love going to the woolies cafeteria before it closed down.

Thanks for reminding me of the old Darwin.

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Parap & Fannie Bay
by: Debbie

At Parap Primary 1962-1967...'those were the days'great childhood memories. My parents owned fish & chip shop u mentioned, near milk bar(we kids climbed on our shop roof to watch the pictures 'Sound of Music' several times) - had reserved family seats Sat night at theatre.

Rode our bikes along East Pt Rd cliffs(where we lived) after listening to 'the air adventures of biggles' + 'tarzan' on the radio after school...no tv then thank goodness (was a better child life then compared to now). Or stopping off at council pool for an hour if we had to walk home from school.
Swapped our comics at a Parap book shop. Bought red ginger & salty plums from chinese shop between Parap Hotel & main highway.

My brother was in the 'scouts' & my sister in 'girl guides' u mentioned...
Debbie 2011

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I remember the Star Theatre John.
by: Terry

Did you ever go to the Parap Airforce Base Pictures and sit in the Canvas Sling Deck-chairs Open Air?
When it rained a few drops nobody cared, it was cool, we dried off in minutes and the air became muggy again in no time. I remember the Train at Darwin Primary and I remember screaming a response in unison to the Catholic kids across the road when the Lunch Bell rang for us to return to our class rooms.. lol

Do you remember? *Catholics, Catholics ring the bell while the State Schools Go to Hell! No insult intended..I had good friends across the road..

We had an old Air Force shack on our property which sat near the Fanny Bay Golf Links and what was set aside for the Waratah Football Ground.

Our Tenants were Mrs Butler and her 2 children. Mrs Butler was an Authoress who wrote under the non de plume of Mrs Gunn. Not the Real one! She encouraged her children to be creative and I tagged along whenever I could.

Aboriginals from Fanny Bay Beach area let us go into the Mangroves with them on a Crabbing Expedition one day. They didn't speak a word of English but laughed a lot. We watched them weld nails to their crabbing sticks with native bee wax over and little camp fire.

Great now I can slide over Mangrove spears without falling in the mud or getting bruised feet. A talent I haven't had opportunity to use since.

Thanks for reminding me of lost memories John.

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Parap Glory Days.
by: Lea

OMG John someone does remember all the same stuff I do. I was born a little later, 1956, but all those memories are still with me today.

I recall the taste of the cashews I used to eat off someones tree on my way home from school. My mother in law still wont accept they don't grow underground! Laugh. Oh, and the taste of tamarinds off the trees along Fanny Bay beach. Civil Defence headquarters was on the corner of Parap Rd and Stuart Highway and the railway shunting yards were also on the highway. Gees sold the best butter scotch I have ever had and I used to buy salty plums from Charlie Onns.

Of course there was also the brownies, guides and scout hall across the road a little from Parap Primary. From the top of the cliffs at Darwin High I would look down to the beach and see all the leftover debris from the war.

Thank you for the memories John! What an awesome time it was. Btw does anyone remember the coconut ice creams Charlie onns sold or that you could buy chocolate lifesavers? No I am not a foodie but John has pretty well covered the shops in the area.
Ah! Glory days!

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Nostalgia
by: Ted

I was a paper boy in the late early 60's when the price was 8 pence. The cut to the paper boys of 2 pence was 25%, pretty generous by today's standards. Unfortunately, 8 pence was best made up of a sixpence and two pennies, and often householders would unload their excess pennies and half-pennies to pay for the paper, so at the end of a paper-round the weight of the coins was considerable.... but I don't recall ever getting any bonus from the NT News, and I was at it for a couple of years.

When I started in 1960 the papers came out twice a week, and there were times when the press in the old tin building next to Brown's Mart would break down - often for days at a time. I can remember at times hanging around from 3.30 or so after school until after 7pm waiting for the papers to be issued by Mrs Wright, whose husband Arthur was one of the type compositors. We paperboys would fill in the time with youthful larrikinism, often forming two sides for a 'war' using the fruits of the Morinda Citrifolia ('Rotten Cheese Fruit'- there was a huge tree next to the NT News building) as ammunition on each other as we ranged around and down the foreshores through the scrub towards the port area.

Best days financially were Anzac Day, when everybody in town was cheerfully tanked and generous with tips, and of course Christmas time. I delivered to houses between McMinn and Smith Streets, from Bennett Street to Daly Street, and made a heap of money considering the times.

It's a different world nowadays.

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Great Memories
by: Margaret

Your story reminded me of some of the shops that I had forgotten the names of. Anthony's and Phitzners Music shop are another couple I remember...

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