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66 Herbert Street
In Oliver Twist’s “A Walk Down Herbert Street” in 1905 there is no building between the Post Office and Holmes’ Bros. Butchery. On 24/3/1906 W. McMillan opened the Central Fruit & Refreshment Rooms on the site. He traded until he sold to Mrs. M. Downes on 2/4/1910. She operated a tea rooms, fruiterers and confectionery and traded as Downes’ Café. This was taken over by H. Downes, baker and pastry cook on 8/3/1913. Ownership reverted to Mrs. M. Downes on 14/11/1914. The business was sold to Ernie Weatherley on 27/2/1915 and he traded as the Geisha Tea Rooms until the sale of his stock and shop fittings on 10/6/1916.
The next reference to No. 66 in the “Allora Guardian “is on 2/11/1918 when M. Catip opened a drapery. Catip had a drapery business in Goondiwindi and may have been taking advantage of a business opportunity that occurred when Chas. Jones was absent from his drapery business at No. 60 during the war. Catip was still advertising on 27/9/1919 but by 24/7/1920 N. C. Thompson & Co., tailors, had taken over the shop. The takeover coincided with the return of Chas. Jones and the sale of his shop to H. C. Patrick who was formerly in charge of the drapery department at Holmes & Co. The Downs Tailoring Co. bought out N. C. Thompson & Co. on 27/9/1924 with Thompson remaining as manager. The business was sold to T. Donahue in August 1925. Donahue, his wife, and family were living in quarters at the back of the shop when it burned to the ground on 3/4/1926. The fire was first noticed in the early hours of the morning by George Forster who operated the Central Café across the street. The fire also burned down the Post Office to the south and the Allora Butchering Co., a vacant shop, N. Rasch’s jewellery, and the Friendly Societies’ Dispensary to the north.
I am not sure when the shop was rebuilt. Our records have gaps between the closing of the “Allora Guardian” in 1934 and the opening of the “Allora Advertiser” in the 1940’s. Any information that can be supplied would be appreciated.
Our next reference to No. 66 is from the ledgers of F. A. (Frank) Chandler who moved his bakery business from Jondaryan to Allora in May 1940. The ledgers extend to March 1943. I have been given the name of Kevin Dance as a baker at No. 66 but I am not sure where he fits in.
From the “Advertiser”, H. W. (Bill) Turner had the bakery from August 1948 to June 1951. W. G. Schipp operated from 1952 until he sold it to J. W. Murray on 3/11/1955. H. J. S. (Jim) Hutchinson owned the shop from at least 23/4/1959 until he sold it to the Family Choice Baking Co. on 14/51970. He remained as manager but from that date the “Regal” bread was baked in Toowoomba and delivered to the Allora shop. In the early 1970’s the shop was renovated in brick, probably after the takeover by Family Choice. On 30/1/1979, long time employee, Barbara Morrish, retired after 19 years on the job.
After the baker’s shop closed Britt’s Hair Shoppe was opened on 27/6/1881 and traded until sold to Patrina Mortimer on 21/11/1983. The name of the business changed to P. R’s Hair Design when Roslyn Reisenleiter (now Cave) joined Patrina on 13/6/1989. P. R’s operated at No. 66 until 16/4/1992 when they moved to No. 48 after the Warwick Credit Union bought the building. The Allora branch of the Warwick Credit Union opened on 14/8/1992.
68 Herbert Street
“A gloomy, gorey place with carcases hanging in unholy array”. No, this is not a description of the Allora Butchery of today but “Oliver Twist’s” description of its predecessor The Allora Butchering Establishment in 1905.
The butchery at No. 68 would be the oldest established business in Allora. David Holmes was advertising his “Allora Butchering Establishment” in the first issue of the “Allora Guardian” in September 1888. In 1889 he advertised “the new shop next door to the Post Office” (there being nothing in between at that time). The butchering business on this site may go back well beyond that. The land on which it stands was bought by the Sinton family in August 1861. In the 1879 Municipal Council rate book it was still owned by the same family who lived about where the Post Office is today. The 1883 Post Office Directory lists D. (David) Sinton (grandfather of Bill and Rob), as one of the town’s butchers. In 1887 both J. and D. Sinton are listed. In the days before refrigeration the beast could have been slaughtered under a tree in the corner of the paddock in what was not then the main part of the town. The parts of the beast not sold immediately would have been placed in brine casks for later sale.
In 1891 David Holmes took up the lease of his father’s Royal Hotel and advertised the butcher shop for sale after five years in business. In January 1892, Isaac Holmes, older brother of David took over the butchery and on 3/12/1898 Holmes’ Bros. (J. & W. M.), took over from their father. Isaac Holmes was the founder of the firm Holmes & Co., carried on by his sons John, William and Arthur, and later grandsons Milton and Glynn (Buff).
In January 1904 the partnership of Holmes Bros. was dissolved and the business carried on by Jack Holmes but at the time of the sale to Betts Bros. in August 1913 it was again owned by Holmes Bros. In January 1917 Betts Bros. sold to Holmes & Gilmore (Jack Holmes and Bill Gilmore) who leased the shop to Chard Bros. in November 1917. A. H. (Archie) Neale bought the business from Chard Bros. in August 1918 and sold it to Dougall & Black (M. K. Dougall and Eric Black) in April 1921. The Allora Butchering Co. (D. McE. & M. K. Dougall) was established in 1922 and owned the butchery at the time of the 1926 fire. After the fire, Dougall Bros. bought the Protestant Hall (built for the Loyal Orange Lodge in Warwick Street in 1886). Under the supervision of Bill Leggatt and using Bill Doyle’s traction engine it was relocated to the Herbert Street site. There would have been plenty of room to manoeuvre because the Post Office was not rebuilt for two years and Cunnington’s Café was not built until the mid 1940’s. The green (a colour the old Protestants would turn if they could see it) roof of the old hall can be seen behind the brick façade of Allora Butchery.
In May 1934 Dougall Bros. sold the butchery to F. Neale & Co. We have a gap in our record in the 1930’s and early 1940’s but we know from Frank Chandler’s baker’s ledgers that Howell Bros. delivered the bread to the Goomburra district on their butcher’s run from at least March 1940. Local identity KO Masters O. B. E. (Over Bloody Eighty, almost), started his working life as a butcher’s boy with Howell Bros. in 1944. Howell Bros. still owned the butchery in August 1948 but in February 1949 it was owned by E. W. K. (Eddie) Hoey and known as Hoey’s Butchery. In September 1951 the shop was leased to C. J. Mangan of Warwick and in January 1953 Mangan’s Butchery was taken over by L. H. (Len) Batterham. . Len bought the butchery of P. S. “Paddy” Ryan & Sons at No.52 in March 1956 and operated both shops until he sold No.68 to Mangan Bros. in January 1957.
In March 1957 Mangan Bros. sold the business to D. R. (Don) Weier who operated it for 32 years until his death in 1989. Alan Nairn took over the business and operated it until August 1992 when he sold it to Brad and Maree Stallman. Grant and Jeanette Lollback took over the business from Brad and Maree in March 2003. Since then it had been much enlarged and modernized.
70 Herbert Street
There was no shop at No. 70 Herbert Street prior to the 1926 fire. Early photos show a gap between the butchery and the shops owned by Barnes & Co. When Dougall Bros. had the Protestant Hall moved onto the site it had a 50 foot frontage to Herbert Street and took up the space. The old hall must have been partitioned to create another shop.
In 1929 H. W. Stay moved into the new shop to make way for Bob Brown’s stationary, tobacconist and hairdressing shop at No. 42. In May 1934, M. K. Carter advertised selling toys, fancy goods, etc. in the shop next door to the butchery. This probably set the pattern for various short term leases over the next sixteen years.
In January 1950, Nev. Guy moved his tailoring business into “the shop next door to Hoey’s Butchery”. Nev. Guy served in the RAAF and was a “Rat of Tobruk” before coming to Allora and marrying May Munsie, daughter of Sam Munsie, the local plumber. G. L. (Sandy) Plotski moved his hairdressing salon from the Royal Hotel to the rear of Nev. Guy in July 1951. In June 1954 Nev. and May Guy bought the Central Drapers and moved into No. 60.
The shop again reverted to short term leases, one being Nev. Gartner who used the shop to liquidate the drapery and women’s wear stocks of H. & S. Credits (Brisbane) Pty. Ltd. In September 1959, A. J. (Alec) Busteed moved his boot repair, saddlery, and taxi service business from the old Railway Hotel sample rooms in Warwick Street to No. 70. which he occupied for nearly twelve years. In July 1971 a sale of the contents of his shop was held after his death. In January 1979 E. J. & M. A. Nolan, Livestock Agents, with Jim Leeson as auctioneer, opened an office in No. 50. In about 1981 they moved the office into No. 70. Cattle sales ended for a time in Allora in March 1985. Eugene and Marion Nolan must have closed their Allora office at that time and Jim and Margaret Leeson opened Leeson & Co., Real Estate and Auctioneers, in No. 60. Apparently the TAB had moved from No. 60 to Allora News for a time before moving to the Royal Hotel in 1986. In October 1986 Lyn and Joan Cronin opened Lyn-D-Jo Boutique in No. 70. They operated there until their closing down sale in June 2007. In September 2007 they re-opened in No. 46A.
After extensive renovations, Grant and Jeanette Lollback opened the enlarged and refurbished Allora Butchery in October, 2008.
72 Herbert Street
“Oliver Twist” in his walk down Herbert Street, says that next door to the butcher dwelt Willie Neale (who married Cissie Holmes). “He was a prominent citizen of the town and representative of the Wheat Board”. “Oliver Twist” has his families mixed up because although W. J. T. Neale was a prominent citizen and a supervisor for the State Wheat Board, his wife was Alice Horne. “Oliver Twist” should have said that next door to the butcher shop dwelt Willie (W. M.) Holmes who married Cissie Neale (sister of W. J. T. Neale). The two families later lived side by side in Arnold Street.
“Oliver Twist” speaks of coming to Barnes & Co. bulk store before he came to Barnes & Co store on the corner. On 7/3/1908 N. Rasch, watchmaker, jeweller and optician, moved into one of the new shops erected by Barnes & Co. These shops must have been built on the site of the old bulk store. There were three shops occupying this site at the time of the 1926 fire (all owned by Barnes & Co.) There was a vacant shop, Rasch’s Jewellery, and the Friendly Societies’ Dispensary. The chemist shop was rebuilt on its old site so that means that there were two shops in the space now occupied by Allora Cafe.
After the fire the site remained vacant until George Cunnington had a new brick shop and residence built in 1948. He shifted into the new shop from the building next door which was formerly Barnes & Co., general store. His old cafe faced Herbert Street in what was later Allora Motors show room. An employee at the time was June Dougall who left the old cafe in early 1949 for her wedding to Pat Lawson in March that year.
Cunnington’s was a name synonymous with cafes in Allora for over fifty years. The family was involved with the ownership of cafes from at least 1925 until 1966 when George and Hilda Cunnington left Allora for Scarborough. Even after they left, the Busteed family carried on the name Cunnington’s Cafe until they sold to Alan and Mary Whittaker in January, 1971. Mary Whittaker (now Strachotta) carried on the name until she sold to Reg Schelbach in June 1978. The name only changed to the Allora cafe when it was bought by Theo and Lorna Cholawinskyj in January 1979.
In 1925 the Cunnington family, trading as the Q. P. Fruit Co., had two cafes in Allora. In January 1926 Charles Cunnington was appointed Queensland manager of Aladdin Industries, the makers of Aladdin lamps. Charles wrote a football column in the Allora Guardian under the nom-de-plume of “Rustyface”. The cafe next to Holmes & Co. in Warwick Street (later the hardware section of Holmes & Co.) was sold. In February 1926 Charles’ brother Arthur took over the Herbert Street cafe which was situated at what was later 58 Herbert Street. This cafe was originally called Cunnington’s Cafe but the name was changed to the Aladdin Cafe, which advertised fruit, cakes, catering and small goods.
March 1926 saw the death of Robert Augustus Cunnington, the father of Charles and Arthur, at the age of 86. He was born in India and his obituary makes interesting reading. It has been included on our “Research” page.
Tragedy struck the family in January 1927 when Colin, aged 12, one of the sons of Arthur and Daisy Cunnington, drowned in Dalrymple Creek.
In 1933 Cunningtons were advertising two cafes in Herbert Street. It is believed that son George, took over the Central Cafe where the Allora Advertiser now operates from. Rae Masters can remember him delivering fruit door to door in a cane basket. Arthur Cunnington died in July 1940 and the cafe was carried on by his wife for several years until sold to the Barnes’ family in the mid 1940’s. George had moved from the Central Cafe to the old Barnes & Co. building.
After George and Hilda Cunnington left Allora (daughters Lynn Rix and Gail Hungerford still live in the area) the cafe was bought by A. J. & M. E. Busteed and operated by Barry and Mima Busteed until sold to Mary and Alan Whittaker. After Alan’s death it was carried on by Mary until sold to Reg. Schelbach. He only had it for a short time before selling it to the Cholawinskyj family. The name Allora Cafe was adopted from the cafe of that name operated at No. 44 by George Skettos for many years and closed by Neil Ellwood in 1974. .
Dick and Robyn (now Telford) Thew bought the business in September 1980 and operated until it was sold to Ken, Dianne and Kath Dakin in June 1981. The Dakins worked in the cafe until they sold to Russ and Cheryl McLean in May 1986. Joan and Stewart Wilson bought the cafe in March 1987 and sold it to Brian and Nancye Ellery in December 1989. The Ellerys were long time owners until they sold out about 1998.
The cafe was operated by Sonya and Richard ? in the early 2000’s.
The business is now called the Allora Cafe and Bakery and is owned by Kathy Hughes who took over in 2004.
The names listed above may not be a full list of all the people who operated the cafe at No. 72. The names come from the Allora Advertiser so you can see the importance of advertising in your local paper to have your name preserved for posterity.
74 Herbert Street
No. 74 was for many years occupied by a chemist. Allora’s first recorded chemist was Robert Ratcliffe Sylvester who was admitted as a chemist and druggist in December 1874. George Briggs and family arrived in Allora in the late 1870’s. George Briggs was a brilliant chemist but had his problems as outlined in the diaries of his son, Spencer. Briggs’ chemist shop was in Darling Street and was sold up in June 1880.
Allora’s next chemist was probably Samuel Bowley Player who set up business in Allora in October 1890. “The Pharmacy” was in the northern end of Herbert Street, opposite the A. J. S. Bank. Mr. Player advertised himself as a Surgeon Dentist and Chemist and was noted for his photography. S. B. Player left town in August 1899.
In November 1899, Mr. F. W. Clarke, formerly Chief Dispenser at the Brisbane General Hospital set up business in the former plumber’s shop on the corner of Warwick and Herbert Streets. The business was called “The Allora Pharmacy” and Mr. Clarke advertised as a Pharmaceutical Chemist and Dentist. A clearing sale was held at the pharmacy in August 1909 and the building was moved to next door to the Railway Hotel in Warwick Street to make way for the new C. B. C. Bank. John Lunn came from Sandgate and set up a chemist’s shop in one of Barnes & Co.’s newly built shops next door to their general store in Herbert Street. Lunn sold the business to T. H. Johnston, Chemist and Optician, in October 1910 and returned to Sandgate. In February 1917, T. H. Johnston sold to T. G. Johnston who in turn sold the business to the United Friendly Societies in May 1919. The U. F. S. was established, in a remarkable show of co-operation, by the Allora Masonic Lodge, the Protestant Alliance, St. Kevin’s Branch H. A. C. B. S. (Hibernians), and the M. U. I. O. O. F. (Oddfellows). The president was Hubert Deacon; the vice president Tom Maher; secretary Andrew Hamilton; treasurer George Tickle; and the trustees Jacob Roush, Garrett O’Neill and W. J. T. Neale. The pharmacist was Alex J. Brown.
At the time of the 1926 fire the chemist was Otto Roggenkamp. Temporary premises were found in Holmes & Co. building in Warwick Street until the new brick building was completed for the owners Barnes & Co. In 1929 the chemist was Bob Overland who married local girl Alice Anderson. After Bob’s premature death in Brisbane Alice returned to Allora to live out her life with her niece, Josie Stay, at “Roseneath”.
W. A. Gordon Ph.C. bought the U. F. S. Dispensary in June 1929. Andy Gordon was in the chemist shop until the mid 1940’s when the shop was taken over by L. A.Gunn. Arthur Gunn was another long term chemist in the town when he sold the shop to P. M. Whyte in July 1970. Pat Whyte (nee Stark) installed R. M. Whitehouse as manager. In February 1975 Bob Whitehouse bought the pharmacy from Pat Whyte. The chemist shop was shifted into the old Allora Motors building in July 1977 and in February 1980 Bob Whitehouse sold out to Elaine McCormick who traded until 30/6/1989.
John Patane had started a pharmacy at No. 48 Herbert Street in May 1989 and in 1994 moved the business to No. 42. Jon Constable bought the business in April 1999 and is the current owner.
After Bob Whitehouse moved out, No. 74 has had a variety of tenants. In April 1984, Paul Mezger opened a dental surgery there and in February 1985 was bought out by Alan Smith. Alan operated from there until May 1985 when he moved to the old C. B. C. Bank building. Lynn Cumming, a physiotherapist, rented No. 74 from February 1986 to November 1987. Keith Jensen Real Estate traded out of the shop at some stage and the City Video Centre opened for a short time in December 1989. Val Cook and Kay Jaenke operated a gift shop and in 1997 Kay Jaenke opened Allora Craft and Odd Things. This was bought by Glenn and Nicole Miller in April 1998.
The business was taken over by the Scouts and run by Rita Davey and Gloria Ziebath in August 2000 until they moved to a room in the Blue Cow Hotel in September 2002.
Allora Realty operated by John and Jan Dean opened in No. 74 in 2002.
Please continue on Herbert Street 6.
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