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TRANSCRIPT
In the remote New South Wales town of Broken Hill, a milk bar called Bells evokes a bygone era.
Its art deco memorabilia and decorative signage all part of a rich history, that stretches back to the late 1800s.
Current owner Kylie Evans couldn’t be more proud to serve classic drinks like the spider: a mix of ice cream, syrup and soda.
"The ice cream when it hits the soda and there’s that foaming and it looks like a cobweb, which is why I add more soda water at the end to give it that fluffiness. Tourists come in (and) they get to experience this little bit of magic. They get to see something from the past that is virtually untouched and unchanged."
Bells’ colourful cordials are still made on site. For Ms Evans, who recently bought the business, serving behind the counter is a career highlight.
"Bells just inspires happiness, makes people happy to be in here. The joy that people leave here with is my favourite part."
Historian Leonard Janiszewski has spent decades researching Australia’s Greek milk bars.
Of more than 4,000 businesses that once prospered nationwide, he says Bells is one of the few remaining.
"Bells is not just simply a piece of living history, but it's part of our public collective identity. Who we were, where we came from, what type of things did we enjoy?"
Mr Janiszewski says the milk bar trend forever changed the way we meet and eat.
"From the 1930s onwards, Australians were starting to embrace the idea of modernity and modernity based within the United States. It was the milk bar that actually introduced rock and roll into Australia. It wasn't the commercial radio stations and it wasn't the government radio stations. It was the milk bar. The vibe was one of, not only entertainment, but also being able to consume items which previously they had only seen through the cinema over in the United States. So, they were drinking spiders. They were having various milkshakes."
At his home in Sydney, Mr Janiszewski has curated a vast array of milk bar memorabilia, collected from founding families, Australia-wide.
"Photographic, as well as memorabilia that stretches right back to the late 19th century in terms of food catering and refreshment catering within Australia, that the Greeks were involved in."
His partner, Effy Alexakis has photographed milk bars in towns and cities across the country.
Some venues celebrated their Greek heritage with names like Athenaian and Paragon.
But Mr Janiszewski says the stand-out was Sydney’s iconic Black and White.
"In 1932, two important things happened in Sydney. One was the opening of the Sydney Harbor Bridge in March; and in November, it was the opening of the first modern milk bar by Mick Adams, whose original Greek name was Joachim Tavlaridis."
Mr Adams’ granddaughter Janet France says her grandfather arrived in Australia aged 14, speaking limited English.
He worked hard to earn a living before opening his first business during the Great Depression.
"Well, it was an instant success. There was 5,000 people on opening day and in actual fact they had to call police to move people along because they had a mechanical cow in the front window that people were fascinated with. And over 27,000 in the first week. It was an instant hit. It showed immigrants that they could make their way in Australia without the language because a lot of Greek immigrants had no English or very poor English."
For many Greek entrepreneurs, milk bars were a stepping stone to a better life in Australia.
Mr Janiszewski explains.
"Greeks have been involved in food catering since the gold rush period. The milk bar continued to provide an essential source of employment for not just simply those who initially went into it, but also the entire family."
While a diverse range of customers were welcomed, Mr Janiszewski says some milk bar owners still struggled to find social acceptance.
"A lot of those who we've interviewed talk about the fact that they did not feel as if they belonged to the broader community. They were always seen as the other, rather than being part of the overall community, ironically, despite the fact that they were the centre of the community."
The Australian milk bar concept later took off overseas – in New Zealand, South Africa, Europe and Great Britain.
Mr Janiszewski says the trend changed Australia forever.
"Australian history is not simply a British Australian history. It's a history of the collective. The Greeks, in terms of their traditional food catering, they welcomed families. Milk bars for almost a hundred years had been the focal point of communities. They brought people from diverse backgrounds together to enjoy, to discuss."
Mr Janiszewski and Ms Alexakis have written a book about this fascinating story, which is also the focus of a documentary, titled 'Australia’s Greek Cafés and Milkbars' due to screen on SBS in April.
(Excerpt of the documentary) "They were bringing these Americanisms into Australia. The Jukebox - You could get up and have a good time. They were places where people could come and eat and meet and enjoy their time together."
Sadly, after many successful decades, Australia’s passion for milk bars eventually faded, as Mr Janiszewski explains.
"The development of fast food during the 1970s, impinged on these family-owned businesses. They could not compete, particularly in regard to the price range and what these fast-food corporations could provide to the general public."
Mr Janiszewski is proud to preserve their milk bar memorabilia for the future.
"The vast collection that we've gathered in terms of Greek Australian history, inclusive of the milk bar, inclusive of the cafe, inclusive of Greeks involved in food catering. We've now provided that as a gift to the state library of New South Wales."
In places like Broken Hill, however a small slice of milk bar history is being kept alive - by dedicated owners like Kylie Evans.
"The Bells created such an amazing legacy through their love and devotion. There is a desire to maintain it and keep it going for as long as we possibly can."
