Tape 6 - Clarrie Boekenstein

Tape 6 – Clarrie Boekenstein

00.15 – started as grocery collected in 1946 / collected orders with horse & sulky / horse named Derby / after 12months got a motorcycle / transferred to milk dept for 6 years

01.45 – 1959 milk department closed / transferred to bakery dept / bread carter

02.10 – promoted to store troubleshooter / dealt with customer complaints

02.25 – promoted to store representative / explained ins and outs to new members

02.55 – promoted to branch manager at Clyde St shop

03.10 – promoted to Stockton store

03.50 – store picnic in October / Gosford & Maitland / won prizes for 100m running races / whole store closed and all staff attended

04.30 – Xmas circus / ponies / monkeys / clowns

05.45 – 1960 introduced travelling shops / 3 grocery and 1 manchester shops / started at Clyde St and travelled to suburbs as far as Raymond Terrace

07.30 – agencies for the store / venetian blind places / dry cleaning / shoe repairer / not the Store but had relationships with it and its customers / gave divvy to store’s customer

08.25 – all branches had a petrol station nearby

09.00 – social activities / employees worked together as a team due to social aspect

09.20 - Xmas dance at hall across road

09.50 – interview for job as a 16 year old / interview Mr Gibson / mother came with him / asked Clarrie if he played cricket / got to be ready to move whenever something happens just like the non-facing batsman

11.15 – Mr Gibbs appointed as manager on Mr Sanders death

11.30 – boys had to sweep with brooms / boys will be boys / used tennis ball to play hockey / Mr Gibbs caught them / strict warning

13.15 – relieved on delicatessen at lunch time / nickname Pinocchio in charge of deli / story of slap and tie incident

15.00 – milk department / new horse on milk run / challenging because horse wouldn’t know run / required to people with new horse / one to deliver and one to drive / dead end St / decided to both deliver as horse couldn’t go anywhere / but vacant property at end street / horse jumped gutter with cart and went round and round paddock / spilled milk everywhere / charged a driveway / got caught on fence / hours to tidy up mess left behind / broken bottles

18.00 – all glass bottles by then / billy cans already gone

18.30 – built grocery packaging department in Clyde St

19.30 – list of jobs / bakery / milk / grocer / 25 years

20.00 – loaded semi trailer with milk at Dairy Farmers

20.45 – describes milk run with horses

23.00 – largest retailer in Newcastle / branches everywhere / thousands staff

25.30 – 3 windows full of Xmas displays

25.50 – store cricket team

26.40 – ladies mannequin parades

27.15 – competition from Woolies & Coles led to demise of the Store

27.45 – grocery store processes / order collection / deliveries / free service

28.30 – the Store didn’t offer specials for delivery which gave supermarkets an advantage

30.00 – even delivered cement and chaff

31.30 – silk screening department at Clyde St