50 Herbert Street
50 Herbert Street marked the start of our quest to find out which shops were where and when in Herbert Street. At an engagement party about 2005, Amanda who owned Allora’s Treasures at No.50 at the time, asked in an effort to increase her profits, what sort of shops were in No.50 previously. Three or four of us, all about the same age, came up with different answers. One said that it was previously a grocery shop, I said that it was vacant in my school days in the 1960’s, while someone else said that Colin Pamenter stored his coffins there when he took over the funeral business of H. W. Stay & Sons in 1957. It may have been all of those things at different times.
For some years the premises was divided into two shops and to make the distinction I will describe them as No.50 and No.50A.
In March 1900 the Toowoomba boot manufacturing firm of Rowbotham Bros. opened an Allora branch of their business at what was later known as No.50 Herbert Street. The Allora manager was Charles Birkett. In Oliver Twist’s walk down Herbert Street in 1905 he says that he came to “George Birkett’s Shoe Store” after passing Tickle’s Bakery. This is not right as Rowbotham Bros. owned the business up to January 1908 when they sold it to Charles Birkett the previous manager. Charles Birkett operated the business until he enlisted in the Great War in 1915. In July 1915 G. Stidolph, a cabinetmaker, started up business in the premises “ex C. Birkett’. After the war, in 1920, Syd. Slatter, also a returned serviceman, started in No.50 as a boot repairer. Following the 1929 fire, Syd. Slatter moved to the Central Hall premises for a short time before moving to No.46 from where he retired in 1968 after 40 years in business in Allora.
The first mention of a shop at No.50A in the Allora Guardian is in February 1914 when T. H. Vines opened a tobacconist and hairdressing salon there. Thomas Vines was a previous employee of the Holmes’ family and married Minnie Holmes, Isaac Holmes’ daughter. The manager of the shop for T. H. Vines was A. Green. In September 1914, Abe Green bought out the tobacconist, hairdressing, and billiard saloon business of T. H. Vines. “Sol” Green was in turn bought out by W. Pratt in December 1914. Matt Lochel was the hairdresser. George Nott owned the business “ex W. Pratt” in September 1917. Nott’s advertisement in the Allora Guardian included the line “I talk to ‘George’ in Hobart”, suggesting as was common in those days, that his hairdressing and billiard saloon was a front for a SP bookmaking business.
R. W. “Bob” Brown returned from the war and bought the hairdressing and tobacconist business from W. Kretchmann. The hairdresser was Les Masters M. M. also a returned serviceman. Bob Brown added stationery to the business and was also the Golden Casket agent in Allora.
In April 1929 Bob Brown and Les Masters moved into bigger premises at No.42 Herbert Street. It was a lucky move because No.50 and No.50A, along with several other shops were destroyed in the August 1929 fire. Both shops were at the time owned by Jacob Roush, the saddler. As previously stated, No.50 was occupied at the time by Syd. Slatter. The billiard saloon at No.50A was operated by Jake Roush, while the hairdressing salon was operated by H. Williams.
After the fire the vacant block was bought by R. W. “Bob” Gordon who had a new building built on what is now Nos.50 and 52. The builder was Peter Reid and the new businesses opened in June 1930. R. W. Gordon moved his butchering business of Gordon Bros. from Drayton Street to occupy No.52 and A. D. Siebenhausen & Son moved their tailoring business into No.50.
Our records are incomplete for the 1930’s and 1940’s. From at least January 1950 Elma Greer was operating her fashion and beauty business called Allora Beauty Salon from No.50. In August 1950 she vacated the shop and Hardies Hardware from Warwick moved in. Hardies advertised in the Allora Advertiser up to December 1951. Our records do not show who was in the shop during the rest of the 1950’s and the 1960’s. From my memory it was vacant in the 1960’s. At the time it would have been owned by Len Batterham who had the butchery next door. In October 1972 the Allora Co-op Society opened their 4 Square cash and carry grocery in No.50 following the fire earlier in the month which destroyed Holmes & Co. The staff were Geoff Slatter and Heather Patterson who were formerly employed in the grocery section of Holmes & Co. The grocery shop at No.50 was closed when the Co-op opened their new store on the Herbert and Warwick Street’s corner in October 1975.
E. J. & M. A. Nolan, livestock salesmen with Jim Leeson as auctioneer, opened an office in No.50 in February 1979. They operated from there until they moved to No.70 in August 1982. From the Advertiser, Batterham’s had a fruit and vegetable shop in No.50 with Mrs. Batterham in charge in April 1988. In June 1988 Batterham’s sold the butchery and fruit shop to Pat and Terri McVeigh. Following the sale of McVeigh’s Meats in 2001, Country Cottage advertised in the Allora Advertiser in March 2002. Robert and Sharon Wendt with the help of Sharon’s mother Maureen Henly, operated Allora Treasures antiques, gift and coffee shop until October 2003 when the business was taken over  by Rosalind Flexman and Gavin Sutton. Amanda operated Allora Treasures coffee and gift shop until June 2007. Allora Pizza was opened in August 2007 and operated until February 2008. Josephine’s Country Cuppa opened on the 20th February 2008 and is the current occupier of No.50 Herbert Street.

52 Herbert Street
Like No.50A, the fact that there is no mention in the Allora Guardian of a business at what is now No.52 prior to 1914,  seems to indicate that there was no building between Birkett’s shoe store and Ludgate’s house before that time. On the 5th September 1914, Abe Green advertised his business as being between C. Birkett (boot maker) and W. McCullough (tailor). This would place W. McCullough at No.52. In July 1915, The Allora Tailoring Co. bought out W. McCullough. The manager was Mr. C. H. Jackson who was described as “a sartorial artist of some experience”. The business in No.52 took a different direction in August 1916 when Mrs. M. A. Powell opened her Patriotic Tea Rooms in the building. In May 1918, Mrs. W. McMillan bought the business. Mrs. McMillan (not a direct ancestor of the current Allora family) lived at the back of the shop and had a reputation of knowing everything that was happening in the main street. G. H. Forster, a returned serviceman, purchased the refreshment rooms from Mrs. McMillan in July 1919. George Forster was the grandfather of Noel Forster who, with his wife Suzanne, ran the business of Allora News at No.54 Herbert Street from 1983 to 1998. George Forster spent a great deal of time in Rosemount Repatriation Hospital and in December 1920 sold out to Mr. C. Ellis. Mr. J. Middleton bought the fruit, confectionery, and refreshment business in April 1921. In June 1923 Mr. Middleton moved to the premises next to the Central Hall now occupied by the Allora Advertiser where he opened the Central Cafe. Coincidently George Forster bought the Central Café from Mrs. J. Middleton in October 1924.
After Middleton’s vacated No.52, Bob Brown in No.50A, expanded his business to take up both shops. He added stationery to his tobacconist’s business in No.50A and set up Les Masters as hairdresser in No.52. (Ros Cave is not the first hairdresser to occupy the site). As told in the story of No.50A, Bob Brown and Les Masters moved to No.42 in April 1929. No.52 along with the rest of the shops up to No.46 was destroyed in the fire of August 1929. At the time of the fire it was owned by Jacob Roush, and was occupied by Mr. J. Fitzgerald, a draper. Mr. Fitzgerald was a major financial loser as a result of the fire and committed suicide a few days later.
R. J. Gordon bought the cleared site from Jacob Roush and had a new building built on what is now Nos.50 and 52. It was divided into the two shops and known as Gordon’s Buildings. The carpenter was Peter Reid. R. J. Gordon moved his firm of Gordon Bros. Butchery from Drayton Street and opened for business at No.52 in June 1930. Gordon Bros. began a long line of butchering businesses on the site. P. S. Ryan & Sons bought Gordon Bros. Butchery in February 1953. “Paddy” Ryan lived on a farm to the north of the town and had a large family including Gerry who was a handy lightweight boxer. The Ryan family sold the butchery to L. H. Batterham in March 1956 and moved to Laidley. Tim Ryan from Goomburra is a grandson of Paddy Ryan. When Len Batterham bought the butcher’s shop at No.52 he also owned the shop at No.70 and operated both until he sold No.70 in January 1957. In May 1970 Len Batterham sold the business at No.52 to Keith Anderson who traded as Anderson’s Butchery. Keith Anderson operated Clifton Butchery at the same time. The shop was probably leased to Keith Anderson for a five year term because in May 1975, Len and Neil Batterham again took over the shop and traded as Allora Meat Supply. The butchery was sold to Pat and Terri McVeigh in June 1988. Pat and Terri traded until 2002 when they sold the business to ex-Grafton butcher, Peter Coombs. After the butcher’s shop closed Roslyn Reisenleiter moved her business of PR’s Hair Design  from No.46A to No.52 in May 2004. Patrina Mortimer had left the partnership in August 2001 after 18 years.
Carol Larsen moved her business of Smart Moves Bowen Therapy from No.48 to the rear of No.52 in November 2006 and again moved, to No.46 in February 2008.
PR’s Hair Design at No.52 is currently owned by Ros Cave, and Andrew and Ros Cave operate Arc Concrete from the same address.

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