By a stroke of good luck , Little Darwin discovered the stunning National Museum of Australia travelling photographic exhibition revealing the influence of Greek cafes on Australian culture on its last day in Darwin. What a delight . It included the "golden age " of Greek cafes from 1930 to the 1960s when they introduced American style milk bars and associated food to the nation along with soda, sundaes and jukeboxes. Many of the cafes adopted American names- New York , California, Monterey, Grand Junction , Hollywood, Astoria .
Of particular interest were the photographs of Greek oyster saloons in the early l900s which sold the succulent seafood in bottles and shell . In various digs for old bottles and remnants from yesteryear , Cyclops often turned up oyster shells and wondered why people were so fond of crustaceans , putting it down to the popular belief that oysters add oomph to your libido, conjuring up a picture of lusty forebears.
On one dig at a century old post office site in South Australia numerous oyster shells and beer bottles were unearthed . Fittingly , in another extensive excavation on an adjoining old bank site , where chastity and self control should have reigned as it had been a Catholic manse in more recent times, there were no oyster shells , but plenty of wine bottles , more than could possibly have been involved in blessing wine and wafer in a tiny country town .
A familiar name jumped from the photograph of the Capitol Refreshment Rooms ,Canberra , 1929 : NOTARAS , Jack , Emanuel and Theo . The caption said Theo had been born on the Greek island of Kythera in 1908 and brought out to Australia by his uncle. Wonder if Dr Len Notaras of the special trauma unit at Royal Darwin Hospital is a descendent ? If so, he might consider opening an oyster bar , using Paspaley Pearls meat as part of the healing therapy .
Another Greek café picture , the Niagra , Gundagai, 1938 , advertised as Australia’s Wonder Café , with an art deco interior, still operating today , had been initially started by Strati Notaras in 1902. Interestingly, the café was frequented by film stars and politicians. In 1942 , Prime Minister, John Curtin, held a wartime midnight cabinet meeting in the café at which steak and eggs were served. Is it possible that the bombing of Darwin was discussed during the meal ?
( Subsequent research revealed that in the 1916 NSW Greek census there were 12 people from Kythera with the Notaras surname , all involved in cafes , ranging from an oyster saloon in Redfern , Sydney, to a miners’ eatery at Broken Hill and several fish shops .)
Darwin businesses included in the pictorial coverage are Zero In The Tropics, with which author Xavier Herbert had close contact and the Star Milk Bar with the Canaris girls. Mentioned also were the Rendezvous and the Purple People Eatery .
Rules for staff in the Belle Vue Café ,Warwick ,Queensland, contained these instructions: No Gum Chewing , Be Civil , No Loud Talking, No Loafing, Don’t Fix Hair or Face in Shop.
To be accepted by the business community and Australian society in general , many Greek proprietors joined masonic lodges , thus there is a picture of David Andronico in Freemasons' regalia of the 1930s in Queensland.
