Monday, November 22, 2010

Mystery tour


OK, today I took a bit of a mystery tour. It began with me searching for the rear of a shop located at 187 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn because that's where I lived when my parents separated in 1956. But that address doesn't exist! So I travelled to 187 Glenferrie Road, Malvern and behind the shops to the rear lane way, but I couldn't really identify which one belonged to the shop. I was convinced as I took photographs, that this was the location of my grotty childhood, since both areas - Glenferrie and Malvern were slums. Still unsure, I asked at the Post Office who suggested I direct my enquiry about street numbering to the Malvern Town Hall. I left a message for the local history librarian who has already responded by email and advised that street renumbering was not uncommon and that the fact that my address was listed as Hawthorn means I need to investigate it in a Sands and McDougall Postal Directory for 1956. My mother did tell me that we lived behind a dress shop, so I'll carry that bit of information with me when I continue my research. Why is this important? Well, it just fills in gaps from the past and I'm using memory and location as yet another point of departure for my novel. It was hot this afternoon so I satisfied my inner child with a 'kiddy cone' Gelati.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Julie, in 1937-1838 (to before 1978)187 Glenferrie Road, Malvern, was a butcher shop.
    It was owned by Walter Loch Pegler and his wife Ellen Lidgerwood. Walter died in 1978.
    Tuesday 5 December 1922 Walter was heavily fined in court for the sausage meat continued 62 percent excess of sulphur dioxide preservatives.

    The charge was found proved, and, Pegler who admitted that this was his third offence, was fined £7 10s with £3 3s cost.

    On Wednesday 9 April 1924 it was reported that Two horses were rescued from burning stables at the rear of the butcher's shop late on Monday night by Malvern firemen named McMillan and Britt, who showed commendable courage.
    The fire, which began in a smallgoods factory at the rear of the butcher's, shop, spread quickly to, the stables, which were well alight when the Malvern and Hawthorn fire brigades arrived on the scene.

    On Tuesday 17 June 1930, Walter was charged at the Malvern Court on Monday, with having made a false return of income for the year ended June 30, 1928.

    Evidence was given that Pegler had evaded payment of £20/15/3 tax.
    He was fined £40, with £1/1/ costs, and an order was made that he should pay double the tax evaded.

    Would be interested if you find anything else on the shop. Am trying to find the other two court cases Walter was involved in.

    Maree animalcarer(at)yahoo.com.au

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  2. Sorry Maree, but if you had read my blog the next day you would have discovered that half a century ago they renumbered Glenferrie Road and the place where I lived, 187 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn was originally located at corner of Wakefield Street and Glenferrie Road. I have little interest in the Malvern address, since it is not where I lived. It is still a Kosher Butcher. I wish you all the best on discovering more on this property and the people involved in it.

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