Does anyone remember the Hursville 10-pin bowling alley?

It was built by Bowling Centres (Holdings) Pty Ltd, and was built on the corner of Forest Rd and Hudson St in Hurstville. It opened in October 1960, Australia's first automatic ten-pin bowling centre.

Coincidentally it was right next to the Volkswagen dealer in Hurstville, Dick Swanton Pty Ltd, which was then located at 10 Hudson St.

BCH Pty Ltd later opened another centre at Enfield (which still exists), and later at Sylvania and Parramatta. BCH later became part of the AMF chain.

Hurstville Bowl was closed and demolished in 1989. A shopping complex was built on the site, now containing a Dick Smith Electronics and a Big Lee.

Yes, needed to book a week ahead to get a lane - we thought that it was so cool!

There was another at Rushcutters Bay opposite the old Stadium - went to a Dillon concert at the Stadium ('65 or '66?)... he didn't seem to want to be there so we went across the road at interval and left him to it.

Swantons'...dad bought his '76 Golf there,,,,my first Dub, a '62 40hp had a Swantons sticker on the back window...bought it at a car yard in Arncliffe.

Hurstville...we knew it as 'Dagsville' was "pretty OK'... two Picture Shows - the Civic and the Savoy, two dances on Saturday night, Shanneys Pub....there was even an old fashioned 'plonko wine bar' across from Shanneys.

Yes, Dagsville was pretty OK.

Phil NOPE wasn't exactly on the corner although the address would indicate that it was I remember it was one house from forest Rd

also went there to bowl probably about 62 or 63

oldtub356 you forgot The White Horse Hotel, the went to The Roundabout then to the Meridian don't know what its called now

do you remember the hamburger place near Humphreys Lane

don't remember the Plonko Wine Bar

Went to the opening of the Hurstville Super Center 1964 from memory

even remember Steam trains going past The Ville Station there was a tar ramp to the ticket booth n steps to the station the steps had that reflective stuff in them so they glittered

Also if you lived in that area The South Hurstville Hotel ( now the Kings F ing Head Tavern ) bring back the LOOOOOOOOOOng bars n tiles on the floor Tooths Old n New Beer if you didn't spew on them there was some thing wrong

Even the White horse had a long bar also Shannies from memory

Geez, you blokes must be old.

I gave up in the early days of the Hurstville bowling alley. After a while it became easier to get a game there.

When I went to Kogarah Inter. High School, I often caught the steam train from Hurstville. It was quicker, as it didn't stop at Allawah or Carlton.

The South Hurstville pub had a working horse trough out the front.

Gee, all of that has nudged a few memories. I forgot about the White Horse although I have an excuse:
The late night drag from the station traffic lights (a passenger had to volunteer to operate the lights)
You won if you went around the White Horse corner first - the winner had to take the roundabout back to the lights for the next drag in the other direction - the going was pretty busy around the White Horse area. Some of the drags would end up through the Royal to Wollongong, pick on some local hoons and race them through the Mad Mile and up to Engadine - crazy.
The hamburger joint - you must have been one of the rich kids - was that in the end of the Arcade??
I remember my dad giving people directions....turn right at this pub then left at that pub. My uncle was a Saddler at South hurstville and the South Hurstville pub was his pub unless the SP Bookie was looking for him...then he drank at the Allawah.
The steam trains - our great auntie took a tribe of us grandkids on the big green engine down the Wollongong - it may have been the early days of the 3801 - what a treat....plenty of coal dust/soot in the eyes..."Don't stick your head out the window"!!
Has the trough gone Greg? No use to a Dub driver anyway. You'd probably remember hitching rails too eh Greg.
There were plenty of car workshops in Treacy St - always worth a look in the doors for a little tyke on the way to grandmas.
I remember one Dub with a Lukey muffler - sounded great going through that canyon of shops - was no fun against a VWs first gear at the lights..
Swantons always had good adds and sometimes a car story in the Leader. Great era and a great area.

what about the fish n chip shop next to the south Hurstville hotel

All that brings back memories. We lived in Dora St, Hurstville, and moved to Connell's Point in around 1952.

Doubt if the horse trough & hitching rails are still there. It used to be the law that all taverns had them.

Spence's Rubber Works in Treacy St had a bloke who could re-groove Michelin X tyres so as you could not tell.

I worked at Swanton's panel shop for a while. Dick Swanton [he changed his name from Swantovski] was a good boss. He became the Mayor of Hurstville.

The pick of the local cars [and some from other places] would turn up in the main street on Saturday nights, in the early '60s. The cops only had FB Holdens, so the 'rubber-laying' competitions were quite popular. Don Holland had the record, in his Austin Healey....from the Post Office almost to the top of the hill. Don's still around, so don't dob him in.

Happy Days

Wow, for a bloke who has only lived in the area for 8 years and knows all these places as they are now, those are some truly great stories to read. Love it !!!

Hi

I worked in VW spare parts in Hudson Street, we were then relocated with all of the Swantons businesses to the corner of Forest Road & Durham Street.

Greg I remember you coming in to buy torsion bar rubbers for your hill climb car and I think I suggested you going to see Adrian at Powertune for some urethane ones.

I also remember Dave Falson from Spences Rubber works coming in to buy 36 hp gearbox bits to use in his 356, Dave now runs East coast Suspension.

I still occasionally see people who used to work at Swantons.

Growing up at Padstow, Hurstville and Bankstown were the big smoke for me.

Steve

I remember me n me mate were up the ville on a Saturday nite we must have been about 12 or so when we watched this guy in a Hot Rod come out of Shannies pub and drive down forest Rd and ended up side swipping about 10 cars parked along forest Rd going towards the White horse must have been good drinks in the pub

I remember Spencers used to do Radial Retreads in teh early 70s

Don Holland nows theres a name from the past used to get around with his younger sister they lived at Carlton

We always went shopping at Roselands, rather than Hurstville, so I wasn't as familiar with the area as you guys. I used to bowl at Bankstown rather than Hursville. It's just interesting that of all the 10-pin centres built in Australia, Hurstville was first (and Enfield second).

The Hurstville Civic theatre (now an office block) and the Savoy (now apartments) were before my time, but I did used to go to the Savoy after it became the Mecca. When it was being demolished in the 1990s I managed to get inside and get some photos before it was all gone. I also bought my first VW from Swantons, in 1982, although as Steve says they had moved away from Hudson St by then. The VW ad below is from 1959, before Swantons began, but a similar ad for 1960 does list them. There are no Swantovskis listed in the phone book, but there are 14 Swantons, including ones at Picnic Point and Connells Point. Dick will be long gone by now but I wonder if his family is still around somewhere.

If you like reminsicing about Hurstville's history, this is a terrific blog about how it developed (with plenty of photos). It's actually in 3 parts, so look for parts II and III at the top right.

http://pastlivesofthenearfuture.com/2013/09/11/hurstfield-act-i-genesis-1875-...

Hi

Dick was a top bloke to work for. He always let me park my yellow Beetle in front of spare parts.

He had two sons Gary & Michael, they were a bit younger than me so they would be in mid fifties now.

Dick died in the early 2000s, I remeber the day of his funeral, I found out about at the last minute and we had tradies coming that day so I couldnt attend

Steve

Thanks for this thread Phil - I'm really enjoying it.

Here is a very nicely written obituary from Pedr Davis' pen for 'Richard Swanton' about a great Australian:

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/23/1071941734845.html 

I'm with you, Lance..this has really kick-started my memory.

On the 'jaunts' to the 'Gong via 'Nasho', Lance, was Magistrate Towns down there then? We used to stop short of Wollongong, as Towns would likely send you to jail [or gaol, then] for failing to give a hand signal. I recon I learned to drive a VW Beetle on those runs.

A bit off topic, but what about the electric trolley buses that ran from Rockdale to Sans Souci, via Kogarah. And the trams that ran from Rockdale to Ramsgate Baths.

I had forgotten the term "Nasho" Greg...many a family started down there on a Saturday night....ditto 'tailight alley' at Sans Souci.
I remember the Trolley Bus terminus at Rockdale...never got to have a ride. the trams were before my time...but, remember the concrete strips in the road with the rails.
One of the over-riding memories is the road conditions being so bad and driving on cross-ply tyres...those tram tracks could really grab you.
Yes, Townsy was feared in Wollongong...the way that we looked at it was that the cops had to catch you first...every time that they got new cars, we'd check-out the road tests in Wheels and kept developing our cars. My dad knew the guy who maintained the detectives cars...he put heavier springs on the brake shoes to stop them from dragging..."giving his boys an advantage"...clueless....but no probs for us.
I had a dash switch for the rear number plate light and the front mounted on a hinge...so that the faster you drove..... easy.
Dave Falsons 356A was very nicely sorted, he was very quick on the motorkhana circuit at Amaroo...really deserves his reputation at EastCoast.

A cousin of mine worked in the US for 8 years back then...he brought back a Buick Wildcat convertible in 1962...Black two door with White soft-top and upholstery...it was a football field long. Picked us up at home 10pm saturday...I was in my PJs...up to Hurstville, half time at the dances, the pub had just closed a wall of people across the road.. we princessed our way through the crowd with the convertible top opening and folding itself away in the boot...we had to stop.... people had just not seen a car like that in Oz...me in my PJs...HappyDaze, Greg.

There's a G Swanton listed in the phone book at Connells Point, and another G Swanton listed at Beecroft. There's an M Swanton at Woolooware. Chances are they are related!

Here's an ad for Swantons from 1960, announcing the opening of their VW showrooms at 10 Hudson St. There's a selection of new and used VWs, including the new Karmann Ghia (cabriolet!) that had just been imported.

Swantons also introduced a novel VW Loan Engine scheme, loaned to you for your use while your own engine is overhauled. Fitted while you wait in just 45 minutes.

I'd like to see Barloworld and McGrath introduce that for today's Golf owners who might need a new engine / DSG !

The Muller boys could do it in less than 2 minutes.

Quote:

The Muller boys could do it in less than 2 minutes.

Quote:

Originally posted by vw54 Quote: The Muller boys could do it in less than 2 minutes. but would it work again ??

The mention of Hurstville brings backs memories to me also as in the late 60's (think it was 69 or possibly 68), I had completed the School Certificate @ Northmead High, but my 2nd cousins boyfriend was the HR Manager @ Hoyts Theatres in Sydney and he offered me vocational work which I jumped at as trainee Projetionist - had to travel to Hurstville for 3 weeks and watch Dr DooLittle, then into the Regent in Sydney and The Graduate was playing there, Then finally something in Parramatta closer to home but noon and evening screenings. KEl really wanted me to stay on and get certified as an Electrician (like my Dad) and stay on as Projectionist, BUT I decided to return to do the Higher School Certificate - good choice think it was

Wow - that would have been a great alternative career path! I'd love to have done that. Today none of those qualifications or disappearing arc lamp and theading skills are needed; with no more 35mm film and only digital, you only need to click on a mouse and press buttons.

The Hurstville Savoy on Ormonde Pde, on the south side of Hurstville station, was the deluxe theatre in Hurstville. The Civic, on the other side of the line on Forest Rd, was more barn-like and not nearly as flash. The Savoy opened in 1937 and joined the Hoyts chain in 1944. It originally had a Wurlitzer theatre organ, like many of the deluxe theatres of the time. It was removed in 1958, and installed in the Burwood Congregational Church. The Savoy closed in 1972, and lay empty and derelict until it was bought by the Mecca Theatres group. It was reopened as the Mecca-Savoy, but eventually became known as the Hurstville Mecca. Unlike the Mecca at Kogarah (formerly the Victory Theatre), which was subdivided into four small cinemas, the Hurstville Savy-Mecca kept its original auditorium with stalls and dress circle. It closed in 1990, and was demolished in 1995. The site is now an apartment block.

Saw many a movie in the Savoy the South Hurstville picture theatre was also a great place to go on a Saturday arvo

Me and my mates used to go to the Civic as well depeneding on what was on Most arvos my mate would eat too much junk n have an up n under on the lyno floor I usually did the bunk as i didnt want to smell the results

That one still exists.

The theatre at South Hurstville, at 850 King Georges Rd, opened in 1934 as the Paramount Theatre. Unlike many of the deluxe city and suburban theatres that had two levels (lower stalls and upper dress circle), the Paramount was single-level only. The rear section was simply raised and stepped. It was very similar to the Padstow Star and Panania Star, which had the same design.

The Paramount was bought by the Hoyts chain in 1950, and renamed the Hoyts South Hurstville. Hoyts closed it in 1959, not wanting to compete with themselves when they also owned the larger and more successful Savoy in Hurstville. The South Hurstville Paramount/Hoyts was converted into a Flemings supermarket, and later a Civic Video centre (also like the Padstow Star). Over time the floor space of the Civic Video has reduced, with space subdivided for a Subway, newsagent and Curves fitness centre.

I've never been inside the South Hurstville theatre, so I dunno if any of the original theatre decor or fittings (such as the ceiling or walls) still exist.

Before TV we, as a family, regularly visited the Civic, Savoy, and Sth Hurstville theatres.

Carlton Odeon? was another. The Southern Sporting Car Club used to hold their meetings there, and I remember Ian [Pete] Geoghegan would often turn up in a black Jaguar.

The South Hurstville became a Flemings super market after being closed

The Carlton became Pacific Film Laborites now Gym
remember all those young girls driving around in Beetles picking up the film to be developed

Greg,

And you were always over exposed if the rumours were true.

countrybuggybill.

All lies, Bill........although I managed to get into a few 'slides', in my Beetle.

Neil Cottee, who ran Pacific Film Labs. started Rabbit Photo.