I Remember When with Milton Rendell

Do you remember when you would do a lot of your shopping between Helena Street and the then new Centrepoint Shopping Centre?

This was the routine of many of the locals in Midland in the 60’s and 70’s and sometimes Helena Street got so busy the foot traffic was pretty full on.

The banks also were in that area and a mix of shops and buildings extended up Great Northern Highway as far the intersection of Morrison Road, so it was quite a shopping and business hub.

I think at the time you were happy to walk this strip for shopping, you would bump into people you knew and you often knew the owners of the shops as they were locals who had been in the area a long time.

This very much added to the village feel to the area and locals helping locals was part of the times.

As I have mentioned before, my family had the bakery in Guildford from the 20’s to early 60’s and recently going through a few old things I found some pictures of our vans in 1936.

I also found a copy of an old article which had been published around the same time of court proceedings with my late grandfather who had to attend as he was found by the unions to have had his staff work past midnight baking bread and was fined two pounds plus costs of two shillings and sixpence.

The funny part was my dad was the head baker with his dad and when my dad later worked for Tip Top Bakery in Midland he used to start work at midnight.

I still have a roll top desk from my grandfather’s bakery which still has a number of articles in it from that time and every now and then I have a look through, not wanting to throw anything out as it gives me a link to time gone by.

I look through the old account books where all the accounts were hand written with beautiful hand writing all done in fountain pen, they are almost artworks in their own right.

I actually found the agreement between my grandfather and the buyer of his bakery at 104 Swan Street, Guildford on May 15, 1964 for the sale of the bakery site.

Some may remember the location opposite the Rose and Crown at one stage was the caryard of Halbert’s Mitsubishi which operated through to the 80’s.

I sent a picture of the agreement to Lou Milanko an old friend, who actually bought the site and developed it into what you see today, and Lou loved it.

Thank you to everyone once again who contact me about the memories I share and help develop content for this page.

If you have any memories like mine, email memories@realestateplus.com.au.

Milton Rendell, chief executive officer, Real Estate Plus