Murray Street 65
| Place type: | Building |
|---|---|
| Address: | 65 Murray Street |
| Town or Locality: | Gawler |
Please click here to view photos of 65 Murray Street.
The Gawler Hot Bread Story
Gawler Hot Bread has been a Murray Street icon for almost twenty years. Behind the freshly baked hot buns and delicious sweet treats, lies a truly inspirational story of overcoming adversity and hardship to pursue your dreams.
The owners, Qui and Tuan Vo, met while in a refugee camp after escaping the ruins of post-war Vietnam, where the communist regime was making life difficult.
“It was terrible,” says Qui. “I remember the soldiers would come and they could take your house and your possessions. Many people were homeless and left starving”.
Both Qui and Tuan decided to escape Vietnam at different times, about one year apart, and fate brought them together at a refugee camp in the Philippines.
Getting to the refugee camp proved a feat in itself, as Tuan recounts. “In 1981 I left Saigon, down the Saigon River. There were many women and children on the boat, and it was very cold and wet”. His boat left under the cover of darkness, and had to negotiate communist soldiers posted along the river. “We were one of two boats. The other boat was not strong enough to sail over a sand bar, and they were caught. There were police boats patrolling the area making sure nobody escaped”. Tuan tells of others who did not make it, and is unsure of the fate of those that were caught and left behind. “I think they were taken to jail, where the communist government would place them in re-education classes. They would take all your possessions and leave you with nothing.”
Once clear of danger, Tuan’s boat headed out towards the deep seas, with the goal of reaching Philippino waters. Living on very small food and water rations, of the 77 people on the boat upon embarkation, around 13 people perished. After being at sea for 36 days, a Philippino fishing boat rescued Tuan’s boat. “Another person died during the journey to the harbour at the Philippines. When we arrived, we initially had to wait at the harbour for several days. Then we were taken to a refugee camp”.
Set up by the UN, the camp at the Philippino island of Palawan housed most of the Vietnamese refugees. While at the camp, Tuan decided to use the time to study English. “I arrived at Palawan in July 1981, and I received a qualification where I could teach English to the other refugees”. Tuan also received a mechanic’s and an electrician’s qualification while at the camp.
In 1983, Tuan met Qui, who would later become his wife. At its peak, the camp held around 10 000 refugees, in relatively good conditions with dormitory style housing, and donated food which the refugees prepared themselves.
Qui’s escape from Vietnam was a little easier than Tuan’s, due to the fortunate early rescue of her boat while escaping through international waters. “I was only 19 years old when I escaped Vietnam. After being at sea for 4 days, a Japanese ship rescued our boat. We stayed on the Japanese ship for a few days. The captain of the Japanese ship was ordered by their government to take us to the refugee camp in the Philippines”, Qui recounts.
It was at the camp where Tuan was teaching Qui English in one of his classes. Later that year, they were married, and were allowed entry to Australia. “The day we got married,” Qui remembers, “we were approved by the ambassadors to come to Australia. It was a lucky day!”
Qui was earlier advised she had approval only to enter Japan, as her rescue involved a Japanese vessel, however this was later overturned and sanity prevailed.
Both Tuan and Qui arrived in Adelaide in 1984, and at first were housed with other new refugees in a hostel in Pennington, before being allowed to enter the community. Both of them worked hard in small jobs initially, to send money back to Vietnam to their families.
“My first job was as a waitress in a restaurant during the evening, after I studied for my high school certificate during the day. On weekends, I worked on a strawberry farm in the Adelaide hills” Qui remembers.
Qui later worked at the Clipsal factory, and also with Holden as a sewing technician. Tuan initially worked with ROH Wheels, then later with Holden as well. “In 1992, I decided to learn a trade, so that I can own my own business”, Tuan recounts. Tuan and his young family moved to Sydney so he could spend time working at a bakery as a baker’s assistant. After two years Tuan was ready to return and set up his own shop. “We decided to come back to Adelaide. It’s more peaceful living, and a good place to raise children”.
Tuan and Qui scoured South Australia looking for the ideal place to open their bakery, a search that included Whyalla, Port Augusta, Port Pirie and Victor Harbor to name but a few places that they had considered.
“But after seeing the shop in Gawler on the main street, we instantly fell in love with the location and the beautiful heritage building”, Qui remembers.
Both Qui and Tuan have been at their Gawler Hot Bread location since 1995, and have since grown to become one of the most popular bakeries in Gawler. Qui and Tuan have embraced the Gawler community, and supply baked goods to the old Hutchinson Hospital, the Rotary Club and many sporting clubs regularly.
“We love being here, and have worked hard at our bakery to be successful. Our family is very lucky and we have a good quality of life here in Gawler. We are so thankful to Gawler for supporting us.”
From the 2020 Town of Gawler Heritage Survey:
DESCRIPTION:
This two-storey Victorian-era parapeted shopfront was constructed c.1850, and features a rendered masonry façade with rendered cornice mould, and side and rear parapet gable walls of random rubble face sandstone with red brick quoins and dressings. The parapet to the façade includes detailed rendered moulding to cornice. The gable roof is clad with corrugated metal and features a large red brick chimney with corbelled capping. The facade at street level has been altered to include one large opening with roller shutter, while the first floor appears intact, with a single, central, timberframed, double-hung window. The reconstructed concave verandah is clad with corrugated metal and supported on simple timber posts with cast-iron lace frieze and corner brackets.
STATEMENT OF HERITAGE VALUE:
Believed to be constructed prior to 1867, this shop is associated with the flourishing mid-nineteenth century commercial development of Gawler as a service town which was based on the burgeoning agricultural, mining and industrial development of Gawler and northern areas of South Australia. It demonstrates an early combined retail and residential building of simple mid-Victorian design without embellishment, constructed of local stone.
BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
The Gawler township was planned by Light, Finnis & Co and laid out by William Jacob in 1839; the Deposited Plan No. 138 of 1863 confirms this plan. Murray Street was established as per Light’s plan and was set out as a continuation of the main road from Adelaide, across the South Para River, Murray Street became the main commercial centre and focus of Gawler township. The original allocation of Allotment 201 of the subdivision of Section 24 was to William Field Porter, proprietor of the Gawler Special Survey. Thereafter, the portion of the allotment fronting Murray Street was purchased by the Gawler Oddfellows, while the narrow portion behind, fronting High Street was variously purchased by George Smith and Robert Milne.
Historic rate books indicate the existence of a number of rateable buildings on the allotment in 1859. These included cottages fronting Murray Street and High Street, as well as combined shops and residences fronting Murray Street and ‘Union Cottage’ fronting Murray Street. It is not clear whether any of these relate to the subject building and the exact date of construction of this building is unknown, however an 1867 lithograph indicates a two story shop which accords with the overall form. Robert Milne, a watchmaker, held interest in the property for a significant time from 1854 to 1882. During that time, the shop was occupied by Richard Snellgrove and later Robert Milne’s wife Rebecca. In 1883 the title was transferred to Herbert Paine, an accountant, but continued to be occupied by Rebecca Milne, shown on an historic plan of Murray Street, dated 1886, as a ‘fancy shop’, as it was at its rate assessment in 1890. Photographs show the existing structure in its current form from as early as 1897. The shop has since operated as offices, a butcher and most recently, a bakery.
Acknowledgments
This report has been prepared by the following people:
• Nancy Cromar (Flightpath Architects)
• Deborah Morgan (Flightpath Architects)
• Kate Paterson (Flightpath Architects)
• Douglas Alexander (Flightpath Architects)
The study team would like to acknowledge the assistance of the following people:
• David Petruzzella (Strategic Planner; Town of Gawler)
• Jacinta Weiss (Cultural Heritage Centre Coordinator; Town of Gawler)
• Jane Strange (Senior Development and Strategic Policy Officer; Town of Gawler)
Gawler History Team Inc. thanks:
Flightpath Architects, Ryan Viney and the Town of Gawler for allowing us access to this important document of Gawler History.
www.flightpatharchitects.com.au
.
Related Articles
References
- gawlerhistory.com/Duke of Edinburgh receiving an address of welcome Gawler 1867
- Duval ‘Plan of Part Gawler Town’ n.d.
- LTO Certificate of Title CT 549/72 1891
- Gawler Rate Assessment Books
- East Ward
- [[‘Gawlertown plus details of original ownership of Gawler lots’ [Edited from LTO GRO 138/1863]]]
- Pierce ‘Plan of Gawler South Australia surveyed and drawn by T Pierce’ 1886
- Bechervaise & Associates in association with McDougall & Vines Murray Street Main Street Study p.76-77
Memories of Murray Street 65
Do you remember Murray Street 65 ? Then Join up and add your memory here.
Support our sponsors!
