PART 2
Geoff Davis, aka Blondie, the boss’s son, invited me to their home in Balwyn. His hobby was building and flying model aeroplanes. He showed me what he had built and started a couple of them then showed me how to make a crystal radio. It was a primitive way to listen to music and voices but it worked with earphones. Geoff had a three-wheeled Morgan car that he offered to drive me home in.
We went to where his car was parked and it was a soft-top sports car so he lowered the top and off we went but when we got to Footscray the skies opened and he decided he wasn’t going any further. He let me out and then headed back to Balwyn and I walked home in the rain. Geoff had many arguments with his father and he would either leave or his father would sack him. During the time of my apprenticeship he must have had at least ten other jobs but always ended up back with his father.
Alex ended up being my best and most loyal friend for nearly forty-six years.
Alex went into the boss’s office one day, unbeknown to me and when I went in, he had removed his artificial leg. He explained what had happened and it appears he was shot in the ankle by a man who lived in Footscray. He was in the RAAF and one Sunday morning while the man was cleaning his rifle it discharged and hit Alex in the ankle and virtually blew it apart and so had to be amputated.
We were walking through the Australia Arcade to the station after work one night when he stumbled and said he had broken his ankle. He just bent down, picked it up, and put the ankle, with shoe and sock attached, into his satchel then we hobbled to Collins Street and got a taxi home.
Alex married Wilma Leahy on 25th August 1951 and I was invited to the wedding.
The church was in Jasper Road, Ormond, not very far from where Wilma lived. I can’t remember how I got there, I think Dad drove me there, but I remember the adventurous trip home. After the reception, we were invited back to the home of a friend of Wilma’s where there was more food and drink. I was only 14 ½ years old and was told by Mum that I had to be home by midnight. A friend of Alex lived in Maidstone and offered to drive me home but said he had two carloads and I would be in the second trip. We didn’t have the phone on so I wasn’t able to let Mum know I would be late. He eventually got back and we left well after midnight.
I was concerned about Mum but the trip home took my mind off everything. The driver had had a fair bit to drink and was all over the road. Going along Dandenong Road, a wide road with a plantation and tram lines down the centre, he wanted to do a right hand turn, he turned right and realised he had turned too soon so he turned left which had him travelling against the traffic. When I got home Mum was sound asleep, Dad was at work, he was a night watchman.
Geoff Ince came to work for Davis’s. He was a heavily built man who didn’t stay for long and started his own manufacturing business in Bee Hive Building at 98 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne. Geoff died in 2004 aged 75 years. He was cremated and his ashes are in Newstead Cemetery. Geoff was a real softie, I remember him crying the day I left.
Myer advertised a sale on sugar, wartime coupons were still being used and I was given two coupons by Ted Davis to get a pound of sugar on redemption of the coupons. When I got back to the workshop I realised I still had the coupons so went back to Myer for more but they had sold out.
He writes:
Hi Brian, Attached are some photos of around the time you would have known Dad, after he and Mum left Melbourne they moved to Lorne, he worked for the Lands Department and became the inspector, he was integral in the making of the Lorne golf course and was its captain, handicapper and jazz band drummer. He had three boys, Ken died from a motorcycle accident aged 27, and Adrian died with leukemia aged five. Dad died 1999 and Mum in 2015.
I hope this answers some of your questions Brian; it was lovely to talk to you, and to let you know about my dad who I miss very much.
Kind regards, Wayne Daff.
In further correspondence from Wayne Daff he writes,
Hi Brian, I thought Dad learnt the trade at Davis jewellers. After he left there due to failing eyesight for close work, he went to work for the lands department in Lorne and going on to become inspector.
He loved rock fishing and shore diving for abalone, he was also a very good golfer and was a member of the original golf club at Alanvale at the back of Lorne, until he helped design and build the Lorne golf course. He was captain, handicapper and a life member.
Ted Davis came in one morning and said he had seen mallet heads advertised in a shop in Swanston Street and asked me to go and get one. I asked the sales person where they were and he sent me up to the first floor. The person there told me that time wasters were called mallet heads and he thought that my boss was having me on. I went back and abused my boss for making a fool of me and then he showed me the advertisement. I had gone to the wrong shop. I should have known better as he was like a father to me. Show Day was not a prescribed holiday, but it was for me, Ted would tell me on the day before “you needn’t come in tomorrow” so I was able to go to the show.
We did a lot of repairs and manufacturing for Catanachs and their manager, Cyril Hall, often asked me if I liked my job and if I ever wanted a position with Catanach’s to let him know. Cyril Vincent Hall passed away in Perth in 1979 aged 89 years.
My Apprenticeship Papers
when I had finished my thirteen weeks at Puckapunyal, near Seymour, Victoria.
I was notified that I was to attend what was then called the Electoral Office in Barkly Street, Footscray for a medical prior to beginning National Service. I had to strip off, even take my watch off, and the examination was then done. I was later notified to go to Camp Pell on 18th August 1954, where there were literally hundreds of us waiting to be transferred by train to Dysart near Puckapunyal. Camp Pell was an old Army Camp in Royal Park but since demolished. We arrived at Dysart and were formed into groups and told to strip to our shoes and socks.
Dysart was just a siding from the main Seymour train line. While we were all standing there in the nude, a train bound for Seymour passed through, what a sight for the passengers, and were then transported by army trucks in convoy to the camp at Puckapunyal. Weekends were free to do as you liked so a few of us used to go into Seymour on Saturday afternoons. My grandmother’s sister, my great aunt Emily, lived in Seymour so a few mates and I usually called in to see her. She was 70 years old and still chopping her own firewood so my mates and I always cut a load for her.
Mum and Dad drove up on Sundays and we would go driving for a couple of hours. I didn’t get a leave pass so as soon as we got away from camp I would put on civilian clothes to avoid being picked up by the Military police and then change back into uniform when we got close to camp.The hot water for the camp was produced by a huge wood-fired boiler. We were allotted a two hour shift through the night where you had to spend the two hours keeping the wood up to the boiler. I was woken up to do my shift at 2.00am by Colin Kingsland and fell asleep on the job, needless to say, the water was only warm when it was time for everybody to have their showers.
We had to fall in line when going to the Mess to eat. The last three or four (because they were late) had to serve the meal so I always made sure to be a straggler which meant I was one of those that had to serve the meal. This was a good move as I was able to dish out my own meal and never went hungry. This was the only time that I have had bacon and eggs for breakfast. Weekends were always good as they had roast pork or ham with roasted vegetables.
There was a large canteen where you could purchase soft drinks and many other things so it was decided that instead of getting the refunds from the bottles we would store them in an empty room and cash them in before the intake was finished and use the money to have a reunion. We had the reunion in the Elsternwick Hotel. We had invited a couple of NCOs who drove down from Puckapunyal.
At morning parade, there would be an inspection to make sure everybody had shaved and see if anybody needed a haircut. I was told to have my haircut and went to the camp barber. There was one person in the chair and seven in front of me and I was out in thirty minutes. A week later, I was told to have another haircut so I just went to the barbershop for a few minutes and then returned to my marquee which slept about thirty men. I was never questioned.
We were marched out into the scrub one day and were marching three abreast; I wasn’t looking where we were going and when those in front of me marched around a tree I marched straight into it, no damage done.We were shown how to pull a rifle apart and re assemble it before being taken to a rifle range for target practice. When we got back to our tents, we were to clean the rifle barrels as there would be a rifle inspection when on parade next morning. Most of us didn’t do a good enough job and we were told to show the sergeant early next morning. Very early next morning we all ambled to his sleeping quarters and woke him up, he wasn’t happy.
One Saturday morning at roll call, the sergeant asked all Catholics to fall out. Everybody presumed that we were going on church parade so a lot of the men who weren’t Catholic joined with those that were. Normally Saturdays after breakfast, it was clean up time in the marquee or hut and then you could get a leave pass and do whatever you wanted.
The sergeant marched us to the Catholic Church and then loaded us into trucks. They told us that the chaplain would like a rockery around the church so we were transported to where there were plenty of rocks and then had to load them manually onto the trucks. This took all morning and by the time we got back to camp the place had been cleaned, the troops had been fed and most of them had gone on leave. We were fed and dismissed to go on leave.
You were allowed three weekends leave during your time in Puckapunyal. I had my first two and was notified that Dad’s Aunty Agnes had died so I applied for compassionate leave to go to the funeral. I was issued with a leave pass, train ticket, and got the train to Melbourne from Seymour. I had to be back in camp within seventy-two hours.
Footscray Football Club had got to the grand final and I had no leave left. Those eligible for leave passes and train tickets had to line up so I joined the line. Passes were handed out and those who didn’t have one were told where to go to receive them. Those who didn’t have train tickets had to go back and get one. I was given a leave pass and train ticket and was never caught out so I was able to go and see the grand final, their first since joining the VFL in 1925. They won their next one in 2016 and were runners up in 2021.
2004 was our fiftieth anniversary and one man from my platoon organised a reunion. John Willaton got in touch with those he could find and we had a get together at the Williamstown RSL. We have done this every year since but unfortunately, the numbers are getting less. 2020 was cancelled as only five are left.
I was moved into the Repair Department after four weeks of running messages, unpacking new stock and helping anybody that wanted extra help. Rob Black was in charge of repairs and had Ian Crofts assisting him. We worked well as a team and covered for each other when necessary. Rob looked after the watch and clock repairs and Ian looked after jewellery. Ian had done his apprenticeship on the bench with Dunklings and at one time was in partnership with Noel Scott who also learnt the trade at Dunklings. When that partnership broke up Noel went back to Dunklings and Ian came to Catanach’s.
Allan Jeans, a VFL footballer with St. Kilda and nicknamed “Yabbie”, was also a Senior Sergeant in the Victoria Police Force in charge of gun registrations and regularly came into the shop to check the gun and registration papers. Gun laws changed and the gun and ammunition had to be surrendered.
My 21st Birthday party was held in the Footscray Town Hall on 8th December 1956.
Most of the guests left for home but I had asked my workmates to come back to our home in Coronation Street. Les Jackman entertained us with the guitar and it all finished about 4.00 am. Restrictions on driving were not as strict as they are nowadays. I lived at home with my parents until I was married which wasn’t unusual in those days where now the young ones leave home at a young age.
There was also a Chinese man who delivered fresh vegetables in a truck for Hotel Australia and used to park his truck in Little Collins Street and used the lane beside Yule House to get to the rear of the hotel.
Larcher’s horse used to get into a bit of mischief from time to time. One morning he was parked behind the vegetable truck and decided to eat some of the greens. The back of the truck had the tailgate down, the horse reared up and put his front feet onto the truck, and started to eat, he soon gathered an audience. Catanach’s front door was on an angle to the footpath and another time, the horse wondered what it was like in the shop and tried to enter but was stopped when the cart wouldn’t fit through the doorway.
Hilda Hall managed the Handbag Department, along with and at different times;
 |
Anna Hagers
Anna, known to us as Mimi lived in Fern Tree Gully and when our first child was born, Betty and I visited her and were introduced to her husband, Dirk. He was into aviation and ran a school for student pilots at Moorabbin Aerodrome. Mimi passed away in November 2012 aged 101 years. Dirk predeceased her passing away in December 1985
When Winnie Munt, who was cashier, retired, she did our pearl re threading at home. She had been nurse for Jimmy Catanach when he was young and I suppose that is how she came to be working in the shop. She wore hearing aids which in those days the receiver section was worn in a pocket. Rob Black played tricks on her pretending to talk and when she couldn’t hear him would turn up the volume. Then when he spoke to her she would say “Why are you yelling” Winnie passed away on 9th May 1984 aged 82 years.
Each Thursday, Dorothy would have her hair done and if when she got back to the shop she wasn’t happy with the way it looked, would comb it out and do it her way. When she went to lunch she would also do the banking, it was when she came back from lunch that the fun began. She would check the switchboard and if the keys weren’t in a straight line she would line them up. Many times, she cut people off but it didn’t change her. Dorothy and Hilda didn’t marry, they both lived at 23 Stanley Grove, Canterbury.
Some other people’s names I recall but can’t recall much about them were; Misses Joan Bennett who was a New Zealander, Jean Coad, Del Brown, Helen Lindquist and Lorna Wafer. All worked at different times in the office both in the shop and Yule House.
I remember one day I was going from the shop to the watchmaker’s workroom and when I got out of the lift I found Eric on the floor in the doorway of the storeroom. I don’t know how long he had been there. He insisted that a taxi home would be fine. I can’t remember if he had time off or not, apparently he had only fainted. Eric Witt passed away in 1980 aged 78 years. Eric had with him in the Plate Department Miss Jean Bain, Mrs Ella Dowie, Miss Phoebe Lineham and Miss Valda Hollingsworth.
Phoebe Lineham did the window dressing with crystal and silverware. She had, at one time, one window in Little Collins Street, displaying crystal all on glass shelving. There was trouble with the lighting and we had to get an electrician to have a look at it. Phoebe asked him if he wanted the crystal taken out but he said “She’ll be right” and proceeded with the job. The next thing was a loud noise of crashing crystal; the top shelf fell onto the one under it and then onto the next until the whole display was demolished. Phoebe never really socialised with the rest of the staff, she spent most of her time dressing the windows or cleaning silverware. She retired before the move to Armadale.
Phoebe Catherine Lineham passed away in 1992 aged 79 years.
Ella Dowie, also worked in the crystal and silverware department. She was a quietly spoken lady who got on with everybody. She had done something special one day and her department boss, Eric Witt, jokingly said to her “You needn’t come in tomorrow”, so she didn’t. She was an artist mainly of floral scenes and had many exhibitions. She lived in an apartment at number 2 Collins Street, Melbourne. Ella passed away in Hawthorn in September 1982 aged 94 years.
Jean Bain was from Phillip Island. I can’t remember much about her and I haven’t been able to find any information about her.
Rob had two brothers, Albert and Eric who also worked at Catanach’s, Albert while I was there and Eric prior to me working there. Rob did clock repairs and taught me how to do it also. I remember if a small clock or travel clock came in for a mainspring only, he would send me to Burmeister Bros or Jas. F Roche to purchase a spring and then watch the counter while I fitted it in the firm’s time.Over the years I repaired hundreds of clocks and specialised in doing Cyma clocks, so much so that when
Fred Rek was slowing down I purchased his Cyma stock and used to be able to on sell it and got my money back. I have virtually very little left. The money I earned from clock repairs paid our mortgage when we were first married. Every Thursday night was clock night and I even taught Brian Leonard (a mate) how to strip them down and then I would do whatever was necessary to put them back into going order.
Later on I also started to supply and set marcasites. Marcasite jewellery was very popular around the 1960’s but the failing with a lot of the cheaper items was that if they were dropped the marcasite would fall out or in some cases they were only cemented in and in time the cement would perish. I remember getting a shilling (10 cents) per marcasite to set them and the loose marcasite were purchased by Catanach’s in bulk and in a variety of sizes. I remember when I first started doing this Mr Catanach asked me to show him a job that I had done. I handed it to him and he immediately dropped it on the floor to test my work and as no marcasite fell out he said “Well done Brian” with a grin on his face.
July 20th 1969 Rob and I went across the road for a counter lunch to the Royal Hotel and watched the launch on television. Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin were on Apollo 11 when it was launched. Neil Armstrong was Commander and Buzz Aldrin was the pilot of the Lunar Module, Eagle, hence the saying “The Eagle has landed”. Apollo 11 was piloted by Michael Collins while the other two were on the moon. The landing took place at 12.56 pm Melbourne time so we were a few minutes late getting back from lunch. Ian Crofts handled the counter while we were gone. Richard Nixon (Tricky Dickie) was US President at the time.
Albert Black, an older brother of Rob Black made all of our window fittings, which were then sent to Simmance Brothers to be covered. In my time, they were in a lane off Little Bourke Street, Melbourne. Albert also cut glass to suit the window displays. All of his bits and pieces and plate glass off cuts were kept in the storeroom. When not doing this work he worked in the shop. Albert passed away October 1974 aged 69 years.
Years after Albert had retired, the storeroom on the fourth floor of Yule House was pretty messy so Blair and I were given the task of cleaning up. There was broken glass everywhere and old window fittings that had been there for years. This is where crystal from overseas was unpacked and put onto shelves and a lot of old repairs were in boxes. Some of the uncollected repairs had been there since the 1930’s. I remember the time as while we were doing this work my youngest son, Brett was born. The date was 29th July 1968.
There was another brother, Eric Black, who worked for Catanach’s but before I started there. Eric Black had two sons with Muscular Dystrophy who both passed away in their late teens. Eric retired to Ballarat and passed away April 1997 aged 87 years.
There was yet another brother, Tom, who worked for Myer and I seem to recall it was in the section that produced all of the figures for the window display each Christmas. He met Rob every night and they would go to Barbeta’s hotel for a drink before going home. The Blacks had a sister who also worked at Catanach’s but before my time.
Ray like a few other members of the staff repaired clocks and when Rob Black retired, Ray did the house calls. Ray had been a square dance caller and met and married a girl from Queensland. They lived in Cheltenham until he left and purchased a milk bar in Highett. Ray and his wife Dal had become good friends of me and my wife so every Thursday Betty would go to the milk bar and Dal and Betty took it week about to do the cooking. I went from work and helped Ray replace missing stock and after eating, we played squash. At the time we only had our first child, Greg.
They sold the shop and moved to Queensland. Ray then went back into the jewellery trade and worked for Bishops in Brisbane. We still keep in touch with Ray ( who turned 92 years on 19th June 2021) and Dal and have been to Manly, Queensland and stayed with them.
Narelle Friske, was coming to Melbourne to live and spoke to Ray Ryan about it. He suggested she call into Catanach’s to see me about getting employment with us. I spoke with Mr. Catanach who agreed to put her on. She worked in various areas of the shop and at times modelled for our catalogues and other advertising. She became engaged to Roy Groom, who was an AFL umpire, during her time with us and I remember she chose an Aquamarine and Diamond ring for her engagement ring. She married and they moved back to Queensland
Narelle was asked by me for some information on her time with us and this is what she wrote:
Hello Brian, I first went to Melbourne in 1968 aged 20, with the Miss Australia quest, 60 odd contestants from Queensland went down for the judging in Melbourne. I returned to Melbourne for a holiday in 1971, which whet my appetite even more so I decided in early 1972 to move down. A friend, another Miss Australia entrant from Gympie (my home town) decided she would join me and came down a week later. A friend, who was in the Air Force at Pt. Cook, rented a bed-sitter type flat in Beaconsfield Parade. St. Kilda for me, (we knew nothing of its reputation) but we had no trouble there at all and found the beach, which was across the road good for meandering on a lazy Sunday.
I'm not sure exactly the date but it was summer 1972, as I left Brisbane airport in a skimpy top and arrived in Melbourne a little cool. When Joy arrived, we had a couple of weeks of exploring and I then went to meet you at Catanachs. Ray Ryan, whom I had worked with in Brisbane, gave me your name and suggested I ask about work at Catanach’s. From memory that was just prior to Easter and I started work after the Easter break.
I have lovely memories of working at Catanachs. Yourself, I remember you lending me books on Gemmology and visiting you and Betty at your home. I remember very clearly dressing the jewellery windows in the morning and eating chocolate. Vern and Val (Valda), Louise, Marge and Joyce and Mrs Ball, (who made me boiled fruitcakes) because I was so far away from my family. Charlie who was always lovely, and Blair who was mostly always smiling. I remember Mr. Catanach as a really lovely man, I always thought of him in my head as Sir Bill. I remember visiting Louise when Chris was a baby and she and Adrian had just adopted a little boy who was about the same age.
I think I left work briefly, maybe 1975 as my health was a small problem, but returned to work 4 days a week (I think) about 6 months later and left at Christmas 1976 just before Chris was born. I have always been called Kelli by my family, mainly because my brother couldn't pronounce Narelle. I hated it as a child and only began using Kelli after relatives in Melbourne also called me Kelli and so it has stuck with me. I now cannot see myself as Narelle.
We lived in Bundoora when I first got married to Roy Groom and then moved to Lower Plenty until we moved to Queensland, I think in 1986 (much against my will), however I was really lucky to have 8 years with my wonderful dad before he died and he got to spend time with my children. My marriage ended during this time. I began selling real estate in 1986 in Gympie and continued with that at the Sunshine Coast until I bought a cafe in Buderim, which I ran for 5 years until 2000.
After a few months I again returned to Real Estate with a brief stint renovating a house just over the border in NSW at Banora Point, selling that after 2 years and returned to the Sunshine Coast where I remain. I now live with my amazingly wonderful partner, Glynn on 10 acres at Ilkley, which is just west of Buderim. We will probably downsize from here fairly soon. I paint, entertain friends and just enjoy life, nothing too exciting, I was lucky enough to do quite a bit of overseas travel between 2001 and 2013 and would love to do more but probably my health will prohibit that so all being well we hope to see some more of Australia while we can.
It was lovely to hear from you and hope you and Betty and family are all well. I have three children, Chris, Sasha and Chantal and eight grandchildren. We are all quite close and I get to see a lot of them fortunately, they all now live in Queensland.
Regards Kelli
Narelle married a second time and now is known as Kelli Lawson.
Dennis’s daughter Sue writes;
Hi Brian, I am sorry this has taken so long, life is pretty busy at the moment with work, a new grandson in the family plus this pandemic which has affected us all quite significantly.
My association with Catanachs started when Dad, Dennis Emery started work there sometime either late 1967 or early 1968 after our family emigrated from the UK. Dad ran the watch/clock department for 5 years before moving on in his work life. During that time my sister Dianne worked there in the Christmas period in her holidays from Uni. I started work there after I returned from overseas.
I went in one day for a repair and Harry Thoma suggested I ask for work, so I approached Mr. Catanach, it was in 1976, can’t remember the month. So began a long association with the firm. I loved the work there and became friendly with Vern and Bernadette who were the only younger ones there at the time. Life was pretty settled there and the staff all long term.
I remember the close association that everyone in the jewellery trade had, the wholesalers, jewellery makers etc. Eventually I took over the silverware department when Mrs Grage retired. Over the years more younger ones started work there and we worked well as a team. I started my gemology course and did the two years but struggled with aspects in the final year and never completed it.
As time went on I remember Blair took over more and more as Mr. Catanach approached his retirement, well he was probably well past it. He was funny as he would often come up to one of us and say “ I cant remember the damn woman’s name could you write the receipt” and he would carry it off beautifully, “ I’ll get Sue to write your receipt” or “I have a phone call I have to take” and gracefully say “how lovely it was to see you again”
I remember once when Glenn and Rob set you up with the microscope and put graphite around the rims of the eye pieces then got you to look at a gem for them, We were all aware of this and had to hold back the laughter as you reappeared with black rims around your eyes.
It was during these years that I met Neil and we married in 1985. I was still with Catanachs when they made the huge decision to move to Armadale, an iconic shop was no longer part of the Royal Arcade. I enjoyed the change to Armadale, being out of the city and the business continued to thrive. Peter then Mandy were both working at the shop in the city and as time went on Mandy became more instrumental in running the shop. Us young ones had many a Friday night after work playing pool in the big room at the back of the shop along with cask wine!
I left in 1997 to have a baby. I was offered the choice to return, but there was no maternity leave around then and I was happy to be a stay at home Mum. We subsequently moved to Seville. I had been re threading pearls for the shop for some time and continued to do that for a few years after I left.
He is a New Zealander and learnt his trade there before meeting an Australian girl and coming to Melbourne to marry her. I actually made her wedding ring when I was an apprentice with W Davis & Son. Peter was a very good tradesman and kept his workbench spotless with everything laid out.
Peter’s wife, Ellen was quite an authority on native birds and wrote books about different types of birds and their habits. Ellen who was awarded the Order of Australia medal in 1995
sadly passed away with dementia on 13th November 2005 aged 75 years.
Kathy McCulloch writes: 
I spent a lot of my time “over the road” in the silver plate storage section, unwrapping consignments, checking invoices against stock, pricing new stock and restocking the shop. The working days always seemed to pass quickly, even Fridays which were long days with “late night shopping” meaning that the shop was open until 9 pm.
No comments:
Post a Comment