John Wilmot Roberts

Interviewed by Trish Levido on 15 December 2005
Subject: Balmoral, Shops & Shopping

John Roberts. They were down at Balmoral, Mrs Tilly’s and then later, on the corner of Mandolong Road and The Esplanade Mr Ford set up a business there, then further on past Hunter Park on the corner of Almora and The Esplanade was a refreshment shop, and that was Dave Smith. Now Dave Smith was the Australasian heavyweight boxing champion around about the turn of the 19th century. When he retired from boxing, he was known as ‘Gentleman Dave’ because he was a gentleman and Mrs Smith was a very fine lady, and they set up this refreshment room there. Dave Smith became an Alderman on Mosman Council, he used to give boxing lessons to us boys, so we would go to his shop, the boxing lessons were held at the Balmoral Baths.

Trish Levido. Tell me about a refreshment shop?

John Roberts. There are tables and chairs where you can have a cup of tea, or an ice cream sundae, or you could go to the counter and buy ice creams in a cone or soft drinks, and you could buy cakes and biscuits. And of course there were Eskimo Pies, they were ice creams coated with chocolate on a stick.