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CRABB Jimmy UPDATED Researched and compiled by Gordon Freegard November 2022 JIMMY CRABB |
JIMMY CRABB 1955 #1 |
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About three weeks after arrival the family contacted
friends in Kalamunda, the Nestors, who had a butcher’s shop on the corner of
Central Road and Haynes Street. Jim
caught the train to Kalamunda to apply for a job. It was the first and only
time he had ever been on a train. They employed him to drive a horse and cart
delivering meat. This was all new to young Jim and it was hard getting use to
the horses, the bush and everything else. The first place he stayed was at Stirk
Cottage and later he boarded with Mrs. Nestor Senior. After that he stayed at
various places. |
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STAFF OF NESTOR'S BUTCHERS SHOP #2 |
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JIMMY CRABB WITH "DOLLY" 1925 #3 |
JIMMY CRABB WITH NESTOR'S DELIVERY VAN #4 He learnt all aspects of butchery in his apprenticeship.
He really became a fully-fledged butcher. He used to leave very early in the
morning about 4 o’clock and sometimes didn’t get home till 10 o’clock at night.
He would harness “Dolly”, the big draught horse and take the cutting cart to
the extremities of the area. On the very hot days he used to sit out under a
tree and he’d take the horse out of the cart and put him in the shade and
they’d both have a little rest before they got going again. He got to know the
people on the lands and gained their respect. Later they sent him out in an old “T” Model Ford without
a driver’s licence. After a while he drove down to Perth to get his driver’s
licence, which he got rather easily. After getting lost a few times, he managed
to get use to the delivery rounds. They had a big cool room at the shop and
blocks of ice were put on top of the meat to keep it fresh. |
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STAFF OF NESTOR'S BUTCHERS SHOP c1926 #5 |
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When the depression came in around 1926 a cut back on
staff meant he lost his job as the other worker had a wife and 5 children to
tend for. Mr. Nestor called Jim aside and said “I know you’ve got a little bit
of money. Rather than looking for work and spending it, I’ll advise you if you
could start your own business. You get on well with the customers, so why not
try selling them smallgoods like bacon, sausages and kippers and those sort of
things”. So that is what started it all. Jim thought oh well anything was worth a try. So Jim went
to Perth and bought a car which he had the car body converted into a delivery
van. He used to buy ice and put in the back because it wasn’t refrigerated. And
he set off around these customers that he used to call on with the meat and
people were buying bacon and sausages and kippers and things and he started to
build up quite a little business. So was the start of J. Crabb’s Handy Foods
Kalamunda. |
THE CRASHED DELIVERY VAN #72 |
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THE CRASHED DELIVERY VAN #73 |
Sometime in the early 1930's Jimmy had a major accident while driving his modified Rugby sedan delivery van, DR . 44. Whilst driving along what was then called the Old East Belmont Road, he crashed into a ditch where a culvet had been washed away.
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THE CRASHED DELIVERY VAN #74 |
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PRIVATE RICHARD & ADA GILES Private Richard Giles and Ada Eliza Lugar married in Perth in 1908. They had five children: Ada spent her early teen years living in Kookynie which is a gold mining town north of Kalgoorlie, east of Menzies and south of Leonora. Her father, who previously licensee of the Cosmopolitan Hotel, was now the keeper of the Grand Hotel which was the only hotel left in the town. Ada Margaret married Jimmy Crabb in Maylands in September 1931. William James married Winifred Keen in Swan in 1936. Alice Mary married Edward David Lyneham in Perth in 1935. She was a keen dressmaker and they lived in Piesse Brook. Richard (Jack) John married Lola Grace Witham in Swan District in 1936. She had the first chemist shop in Kalamunda, situated in Haynes Street, and for many years Richard operated a milk delivery cart in Kalamunda. |
ADA ELIZA GILES (nee LUGAR) #82 |
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THE GRAND HOTEL KOOKYNIE #84 |
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Kookynie was a thriving gold mining town boasting a |
EARLY VIEW OF MAIN STREET KOOKYNIE #88 |
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THE SECOND MAIN STREET. CUMBERLAND STREET, KOOKYNIE #89 |
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In the 1920's the Giles' children were popular participants in various school and social events in the town. In September 1923 at a Sports Day & Picnic held at the Haimes Estate, the wheelbarrow race was won by Lloyd Jones and 11 year-old Willie Giles. While his 13 year-old sister Ada won the high jump. At a Concert & Dance organised by the teacher Fred White in October 1923, a song was performed by Josephine O'Conner and 10 year-old Alice Giles. A piano forte duet by Roma Harvey and 13 year-old Ada Giles. The song, "Won't you buy my pretty flowers" was sung by Ada after which the flowers were distributed and raised six shilling (60 cents). In December 1924, schoolmaster Fred White organised a School Concert, at which a piano forte duet "Waves of the ocean" was performed by !5 year-old Phyllis Giles and 14 year-old Ada Giles. "Bring back those wonderful days" was sung by Phyllis and the senior girls. The teacher together with 11 year-old Alice Giles and 14 year-old Ada Giles performed "The Toyless Little Girl". Sadly, three years later, both parents died within six months of each other in 1927. All the children then moved to stay with a Aunt in Perth. |
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EARLY VIEW OF KOOKYNIE #87 |
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THE GRAND HOTEL HORSE - A story that had to be told Have you heard the one about the
horse who walked into a bar? No, it's not a joke. He showed up at the Grand
Hotel in Kookynie in September 2013, kept coming back and has since been
adopted as the eleventh member of the town. Publican Kevin Pusey said the horse
now spends his days wandering around the northern Goldfields town, catching up with
the locals, greeting tourists and doing "horse things". Mr Pusey and
his wife Margaret have owned the Grand Hotel, which also acts as a grocery
store and service station, since 2000. He said Mr Horse, as he was called when
he first came to town, does spend most of his time hanging around the pub, he
did not belong to them, or any particular member of the community. "He's
not the town horse, the horse owns the town," Mr Pusey said. "He turned up at the front of
the hotel one morning, looking a bit tired and distressed, looking thirsty but
he was obviously used to people." After drinking all the water in the bowl
at the front of the pub put out for dogs, Mr Pusey filled up a two gallon bucket
with water five times before Mr Horse's thirst was quenched. "We went and
grabbed some carrots and apples and he said, 'yes please' and the relationship
started from there," he said. After staying in town for a number of
weeks the people of Kookynie started doing some research into the markings on
the horse's neck. After figuring out what they meant they were able to identify
him as an ex-pacer. "His name was Willie Strike More and he'd been racing
at Gloucester Park," Mr Pusey said. Mr Horse then became
"Willie" to the members of the small community which he spends his
days in. From what he has been able to find out, Mr Pusey believes Willie was
left at a nearby station but did not get along with the other horses there so
"decided to hit the road". Willie's lifestyle is far more laid back
these days compared to his time as a pacer, during which he raced 82 times and
brought in $63,000 in prize money. "At 5.30am he'll be waiting on
the (hotel) porch for his brekkie of muesli and carrots," Mr Pusey said. "Then
he wanders off and catches up with everyone in town before coming back and
looking through the window to attract someone's attention and get some apples."
He wanders off again, does horse-type things and looks for green feed, or if
there isn't much around, we'll let him in the back [into the beer garden] and
he will mow the lawn for us." Mr Pusey said Willie had a couple of places
on the outskirts of town where he liked to sleep. |
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WILLIE, THE GRAND HOTEL'S SECURITY GUARD #85 With Willie being about 13 years old
and the average lifespan of a horse being about 25 years, the town of Kookynie
may have a long-term resident on its hands. And it appears that the community is
pretty happy to have him. "He likes company; he'll come up to you just for
a smooch and a talk," Mr Pusey said. "He's become one of the family,
he's got a really nice character and a wisdom about him. He has been self-appointed
the hotel’s security guard. |
WILLIE HAVING A SMOOCH WITH PUBLICAN'S WIFE MARGARET #86 |
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ADA GILES Ada and siblings came to Perth to stay with an Aunt but she wasn’t particularly happy there. She originally did office work in a solicitor’s office in the city. She wanted to get away from where she was living. At nineteen years old she saw an advert in the paper from a Mr. Nestor in Kalamunda wanted a domestic. She applied and got the job, so she lived with him as his housekeeper. As Jim Crabb worked in the butchery and Ada worked in the house, their paths crossed and that’s how he met her. The Swan Express reported on a dance that was held at the Kalamunda Hall on Thursday 11th July, 1929 to benefit the Lesmurdie School for additions to the library. Two novelty dances were put on during the evening, being the Chevrolet Balloon Dance and the Monte Carlo Card Waltz sponsored by the Skipper Bailey Motor Company. The Balloon Dance was won by Miss Ada Giles and Jimmy Crabb, the prize being a handsome sandwich tray and a tortoise-shell lined cigarette case. Romance blossomed and resulted in the marriage of Jim Crabb and Ada Giles on September 1931 in the Maylands Anglican Church. Jimmy and Ada had three children: |
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JIMMY & ADA CRABB As Jim’s delivery round increased people used to say to
him “if you’re coming out here next week with these things, do you think you
could get a couple of pounds of sugar and a pound of tea or something like
that”. Mr. Jenner had a little grocery shop, down in
Canning Road, near where Chelsea Decor is today. So Ada went down there and she
said to Mr Jenner that people were wanting to buy these things and could she
get them from him? And he gave them to her a couple of pennies cheaper than
what was the price to give them the opportunity of making something. They started buying so much that Ada was always sort of thinking well we could do better than what we’re doing. So they went to grocery wholesalers D & J. Fowlers in the city, approached them and wanted to know could they start buying some things off them. That was organised, so they started getting these things from the warehouse and they stored them in little cardboard boxes in a little sleep-out in the little cottage, where they lived in Canning Road, on the site that is now a Chinese restaurant. About this time Jimmy changed to a larger modified delivery van.
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JIMMY CRABB'S MODIFIED "RUGBY" DELIVERY VAN, ADA CRABB DRIVING 1934 #6 |
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JIMMY CRABB'S LITTLE VAN NEW MAX JONES from "Kalamunda Plumbing Plus" comments: Not sure how to confirm this, but I think Jim Crabb may have sold this delivery van to Don Clark (Clark's Bakery, that went on to become Kalamunda Bakery), who in turn sold it to Dad (Wally Jones) for our first plumber's van (late 1950’s / 1960). It would make sense of a vague memory I have if this was the case. There can’t have been too many vans like this knocking around in Kalamunda.
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JIMMY & ADA CRABB'S HOUSE, 11 CANNING ROAD 1931-34 #7 |
JIMMY & ADA CRABB'S HOUSE , 11 CANNING ROAD #8 |
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So it grew and grew because the people out in the bush
had no means of getting things and it was easier for them to stay home if
somebody was bringing it to them. So as time when on, they were doing so well
on their little side verandah they decided to buy a block of land across the
road and that was where they built a home with their first shop attached. On
the site that is now the IGA carpark. The Crabb family operated the first store in Kalamunda since
Show Day in October 1934. Jim took the bold step of converting his successful home
delivery service into a Shop. Their first shop was quite small, measuring
approximately ten by five metres. Access from his home was through a door on
the front verandah. Two extensions were made to the shop, one in 1939c and the
second in 1949. Lane and Sons were the builder of the second extension which
included a large storeroom and covered loading area. It later became the first
shop in Kalamunda to have commercial Refrigeration, which enabled the sale of
home-made ice cream. He went to Perth every day to buy stock and called on his
customers he knew from the delivery rounds. He was able to sell his produce 10%
– 20% cheaper than the local grocer and he delivered to Bickley, Karragullen,
Kalamunda and as far as Barton’s Mill. |
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CRABB'S FIRST SHOP WITH HOUSE, 14 CANNING ROAD c1934 #9 |
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So that’s how it started and then people wanted more and
more. Jim did the deliveries and Ada did the shop. She saw all the travellers
and did the ordering, served in the shop and kept the books in order. It worked
as a good partnership. The shop was enlarged 3 or 4 times and eventually got
too small so they moved to the other side of Heath Road. Jim took on agencies to supplement the limited income
from the grocery trade. He became agent for Carlyle and Co., who specialised in
electrical equipment including Astor radios and Hotpoint products. Jim hired
out radio sets for 35cents a week with no deposit. He also became agent for
Aladdin Lamps, Golden West Aerated Waters and Taubman’s paints. Despite a busy commercial life, Jimmy Crabb was community
oriented. He was a member of the Volunteer Defence Force during the Second
World War, a founding member of the Progress Association and the Ambulance
Committee, and supported all local groups in a generous manner. When there were
hard times being experienced by families and those on the land, Jim Crabb gave
them extended credit. Eventually the business got so big that Gordon Farrell
brought the goods up from the warehouse and Jim concentrated on the deliveries.
These were split into areas. Tuesday they would go around Carmel, Bickley and
Piesse Brook. Wednesday was Lesmurdie. Thursday was Kalamunda and Friday was
Gooseberry Hill. Free home delivery of groceries was a hallmark of Crabbs trade. Your perishables were put in your fridge if you weren’t home. He’d even post your mail on his way home! |
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Pat Hallahan commenced a long period of working for the
Crabbs. He started working for them in 1946 in the little old shop. Linda
Hutchinson was an assistant at the time also. He took over the delivery rounds
for many years and was with them when they moved to the new larger shop on the
other corner of Heath Road. Pat worked there for ten years before moving on to
become a school-teacher. Kalamunda was very different in those days. Canning Road
was a quiet little street was few horses and carts going past. The kids used to
play cricket out in the middle of Canning Road. They had a couple of boxes at
each end, and if anyone heard something coming they’d pick up everything and
move off the road till they passed then continued with the game. |
JIMMY CRABB & AILSA IN DELIVERY VAN 1939 #10 |
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CRABB'S ADVERT 1952 #11
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1952 STAFF #12
PAT HALLAHAN WITH DELIVERY VAN 1952 #13 |
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CRABB'S ADVERT 1953 #14 |
NIGHT OUT 1955 #15
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AILSA PLAYING CRICKET NEAR CANNING ROAD 1950s #16 |
SITE FOR NEW STORE 1954 #17
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SITE FOR NEW STORE 1954 #18 |
SITE FOR NEW STORE 1954 #19 |
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SITE FOR NEW STORE 1954 #20 |
BUILDING NEW STORE 1954 #21 |
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BUILDING NEW STORE 1954 #22 |
BUILDING NEW STORE 1954 #23 |
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Haynes Street was still classed as the main street. From Canning Road, on the north side were 5 tennis courts then there was a blacksmiths halfway up the hill. Past that there was a little tearooms and cake shop ran by Mrs. Finlay, about where the Last Drop is today. Then there was Miss Witham, the local chemist with a little draper’s shop attached with their home behind. Next to that was what was called “the old Brown House”. Originally believed to have been a hospital. It was old and had concrete floors. A Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler lived there. Where the Thai on the Hill Restaurant is today was a grocery store with a big shed out the back for produce like bags of wheat and chaff etc. On the other side of the street was a tearooms and then further along the Hotel. Across the road where the Library is today, was Slatyer’s Real Estate office. A Miss Synnet also had a little real estate office there. When they moved it became a little fruit shop called the Fruit Bowl. On the opposite corner of Haynes Street and Railway Road
where Dreams are today, was Handyford’s newsagent with tearooms adjoining.
Going along Railway Road next was a vacant block which had been an open air
picture theatre. Next was Ted Humfrey’s butchers shop, later George Orrells
then Herb Bavistocks. Now a fish and chip shop. Next was a vacant lot on which
later the first bank in Kalamunda, the E.S. & A. was built. It adjoined the
hotel and later when the bank new premises it became a drive-through bottle
shop. On the left at the entrance to the hotel were two small shops. One was Dick
Hawleys shoe shop and the other was Dick Marshall’s men’s hairdresser. |
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PANORAMIC VIEW OF TENNIS COURTS. NESTOR'S BUTCHER SHOP TOP LEFT HAND #24 |
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BILL HALADAY'S BLACKSMITHS SHOP #25 |
THE OLD BROWN HOUSE #26 |
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THE FRUIT BOWL #27 |
Tennis and football were very popular sports then and it
was only relatively in later years that there was hockey and other sporting
clubs, There always was a soccer club and Jim belonged to the soccer club when
he first came here. Because he came from Motherwell in Scotland, Motherwell was
a team that’s in the Scottish league over there. And he followed that team
every week, of all the years that he was here, his father every week sent him
the little bit out of the paper with the football scores and any little tidbits
about the football club. Every week without fail that used to come and when his
father died one of his sisters took it on and every week she sent that. This
continued right up until he was in his nineties he was still getting the little
bits. His sister used to write to him and cut out the little bits out of the
paper. She was a real canny Scot. She’d cut the piece out of the paper and the
bit of blank space at the bottom of the page is where she used to write the
letter. That was cheaper than adding in another sheet of paper. |
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The family used to pull Jim’s leg and say “it’s no doubt about you Scots, you know, why use another piece of paper when you can write your letter on the blank page on the piece of newspaper”. During the War Jim sent food parcels home to his family
because things were rationed even more over there than they were here. He used
to do up a food parcel and there was never a square inch that he didn’t put
something. It was packed so beautifully, of course tobacco and cigarettes and
things like that were something you weren’t allowed to send but his father
smoked a pipe, so he would send a plug of tobacco in a jelly packet. And that
went on for years and then he always put in a couple of jelly packets with this
plug of tobacco in it. Jim was a careful packer, and he packed it up
beautifully with brown paper and tied it up with string, as sticky tape was not
around then. And when the letter used to come back to say the parcel arrived, it
said thanks very much for the parcel and particularly the “jellies”. Ada always
did everything right and she was always scared that they would go to jail or
something if they were caught sending plugs of tobacco. And even after the War
when things were still very much rationed, he was still kept sending the parcels. They used to send urgent goods out on the train to
outlying areas like Pickering Brook and Barton’s Mill. Jim would bundle them up
in a little parcel and send Ailsa up the catch the 7.00 p.m. evening train. She
would give the guard a shilling (10 Cents) and he would give the parcel to the
customers at the other end. During the War years things like tea, butter and sugar were all rationed. Everybody had to have ration books and the shops weren’t allowed to sell anything without people having their required amount of coupons and also as a shopkeeper, Jim couldn’t buy things unless he had the required amount of coupons as well. So one sheet of coupons was one box of butter and so many sheets of tea coupons got a tea chest of tea. So it wasn’t only just the people had to come and have the coupons cut off their ration books, the shopkeepers had to do the same. It was something that was ongoing because every week they needed to buy a box of butter, or a chest of tea. So it was the kids job to sit in the lounge room with little glue pots and little glue brushes, gluing the coupons onto sheets of paper AILSA CRABB When Ailsa went to the Heath Road Kalamunda Primary
School her dog would take her to school then return home. He would return at a quarter-past
three in the afternoon to walk her home. One day she got kept in for
misbehaving and everyone else had gone home but her dog was still waiting for
her as he knew she had not gone. Ailsa tended to be a bit talkative at school
and once she was driving her teacher, Ron Stephens, mad. As punishment he put her
into a big cupboard that had double doors on it. While she stood inside behind
the closed doors, she was looking around at what was in the cupboard. She
spotted a lovely box of Staedtler pencils like the teacher had. They were
different to the ones that the kids had. They were really “posh” pencils. So
she pinched a couple of the pencils and pushed them up the sleeves of her
jumper. When she was finally let out she showed her friends and was thought to
be a hero! |
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AILSA CRABB 1941-42 #28 |
AILSA CRABB c1940 #29 |
GRAHAM FARRELL & AILSA CRABB c1949 #30 |
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Entertainment was pictures in the Town Hall on Friday
night with dances there on Saturday nights once a month. Later in the late
1950s an open air picture garden opened in Heath Road on the slope opposite
where the Uniting Church is today. The family’s social life was centred around the local
Methodist, the Scouts and the regular dances. These were the main social
Activities in Kalamunda in those days with church groups playing a key role for
the community. When 12 years old Ailsa joined the Girl Guides and then a bit
later she became a Cub leader and an Assistant Cub Leader for about four or
five years.
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1945 KALAMUNDA METHODIST SUNDAY SCHOOL GROUP #31 |
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AILSA CRABB 1949c #32 |
AILSA CRABB AT CRAWLEY CHRISTMAS 1948 #33 |
AILSA CRABB AT GUIDE CAMP LATE 1940c #34 |
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PROCESSION GYMKANA, AT TOP OF TOWN, |
AILSA CRABB & MARGORIE SEATON VOLUNTEERING ON |
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KALAMUNDA SCHOOL 1946 #37
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AILSA CRABB AGED 10 c1947 #38 |
After Ailsa left school in 1953, she wanted to do
something else other than work at the shop but she wasn’t encouraged by her
parents. She hung around and did odd jobs at the shop and finally her Dad said,
“Do you want to work in the shop? If you do we will pay you.” Ailsa worked in
the shop for 43 years. It was in the Scout movement that she met her future
husband, Jim Harwood. Jim was a Scout and she was a Guide and they met in joint
activities there and they both went to the church youth club and were involved
with church activities. Jim didn’t always live in Kalamunda, he came to Kalamunda
when he was about twelve. They met when both were about fourteen but weren’t married
until seven years later in 1958. Then Ailsa joined the Scout’s Parents Committee
and was on that for about twenty years. Jim was born on 25th July 1935. His parents were James and Leila (Bowden) Harwood. They got married in the Methodist
Church and had the reception in the R.S.L. Hall. |
AILSA CRABB GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL 1949 #39 |
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JIM HARWOOD c1950 #40 |
JIM HARWOOD, ED SCHMITT & DON BURGESS #41 |
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AILSA CRABB & PAT HALLAHAN 1955 #42 |
AILSA CRABB AT ANGLICAN'S DEBUTANTES BALL 10th JUNE 1955 #43
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AILSA CRABB ON HER WEDDING DAY 1958 #44 |
AILSA & JIM HARWOOD ON THEIR WEDDING DAY 1958 #45 |
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Ailsa and Jim had two sons, Bruce in November 1960 and Mark in 1963. Bruce managed the IGA (Independent Grocers Association) shop until it closed, but prior to that he studied. They encouraged their boys when they left school and said “that the shop will always be there but we want you to do something else, go out in the world and do something else”. Bruce studied and got his Diploma in Photography and actually became a professional photographer and Mark did an apprenticeship at the Kalamunda Bakery and he graduated as a pastry cook. Sadly Jim passed away on 11th July 2012.
AILSA HARWOOD & SON BRUCE 1963 #46 |
HARWOOD BOYS BRUCE & MARK EARLY 1970 #47 |
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THE CRABB'S FAMILY BUSINESS The Crabbs were without a water supply for many years
with water being collected from roof catchments and stored in tanks. Mr.
Farrell. A water cater and neighbour, was considered a very important person as
he would haul water and supplies from all over the place and also would
transport many of the provisions needed by the Crabb’s business. As the business flourished they needed to enlarge the
shop. So they bought the property on the opposite corner of Heath road and
Canning Road. Clarke and Robbins constructed a brand new larger shop and which
opened in 1955. The bull-nose verandahs were added in 1998 during
refurbishments. Just about everything in the shop, apart from custard
powder and cornflour and self raising flour, they packed themselves; that was
currants, sultanas, dates, split peas, barley and you name it, sago. And not
only did they do up all these food things, down in the shed, in the backyard
they used to have to pack all the poultry food like wheat, pollard, bran, mash
and chick food and all of those things. Things was just so different to how
they are today. You go into a shop now and everything’s packaged and there’s
thousands of lines. Whereas in those days your whole existence was different,
you lived off the basics and not all this prepared stuff that you get these
days. The shop had a long serving counter behind was shelves
with all the goods and stores packed on them. On the opposite side were display
units. Bulk biscuits were kept in tins under the counter and people would ask
for types such as nutties, ginger nuts, currant shorties and coconut rings.
Across the end was a refrigerator, Biscuits came in a tremendous variety in bulk in tins about
a foot squared sort of thing. Granitas and Milk Arrowroot were about the only
ones that came pre-packed. Everything had to be weighed and packaged. Cheese came
in waxed blocks about a foot high and a foot in diameter round and you’d have
to peel the skin off. Then with a fine wire with two pegs on the end of it they
would cut the cheese into slices, weight it and sell it like that. There was no
cash registers, no adding machines. Staff just learned to be very good at
mental arithmetic because the price of everything would write down on the
docket book and added up. |
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They ran accounts and Mrs. Crabb looked after them. In
some cases some people took a long time to pay and in some cases never. They
were never refused supplies. The Crabbs would go without before their
customers. As Kalamunda grew competition came into the area which
meant steps had to be taken to counteract. Collective buying power for the
small independent grocer was the only way to survive. Jim Crabb showed
foresight by wise investment in a new company destined to become a market
leader. Along with other independent grocers, Jim saw Foodland Wholesalers
emerge from a small warehouse in East Perth. It was out of this group that the
Foodland Empire came into being.
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ADA & JIMMY CRABB 1955 #76 |
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OPENING OF NEW STORE 1955 #48 |
OPENING OF NEW STORE 1955 #49 |
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CELEBRATING OPENING OF NEW STORE 1955 WITH SOME ORIGINAL CUSTOMERS #50 |
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CELEBRATING OPENING OF NEW STORE 1955 #51 |
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DAVID CRABB, AILSA CRABB, PAT HALLAHAN, ADA CRABB & JIMMY CRABB, OPENING OF NEW STORE 1955 #52 |
After a couple of years in the new shop, self-service was
starting to become the popular thing. So the shop was converted to
self-service. They did away with the counters and put in new shelving. The
“check-out” was just a laminex table with a cash register on it. When the new
shop opened the competitors were Roy Thompsons and Cash’n’Carry that had moved
into Haynes Street. And then in the 70s and within about 12 months Charlie
Carters, Freecorns, Woolworths and Tom the Cheap all came to town. They had
fancy newly constructed shops. Freecorns was in Barberry Square, Woolworths had
a big store where Bunnings is today, Charlie Carters was out where Woolworths
are today, and Tom the Cheap was where The Best Drop Traven is now.
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CRABB'S SELF SERVICE STORE 1956 #53 |
CRABB'S SELF SERVICE STORE 1956 #54 |
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Among the development of Kalamunda
they withstood the test of time. Over the years, Mr and Mrs Crabb’s small business continued
to flourish and became an instrumental part of the Kalamunda community. Against the rising of the corporate, commercial chains,
Crabb’s went from Foodland to Foodmaster, to Supa Valu to IGA, to compete. Each
time enlarging the store and changing the layout. They took over the small
adjoining shop, originally built as Jenner’s Cash and Carry, demolished it and
expanded with more floor space. An interesting innovation in about 1960 was the
introduction of a butchers shop conducted by Herb Baverstock and staff.
Buckingham Developments modernised the store in the mid-1998. Changing customer
demands were reflected in new departments being added within the store,
including a delicatessen and hot bread kitchen. |
CRABB'S FOODLAND STORE 1950s #77 |
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CRABB'S FOODLAND STORE 1950s, OLD STORE ON LEFT #55 |
CRABB'S FOODLAND STORE 1950s SHOWING SMALL SHOP ADJOINING #56 |
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CRABB'S FOODLAND STORE 1950s SHOWING EXTENSIONS #57 |
CRABB'S FOODLAND STORE 1950s #58 |
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A tour of Crabb’s IGA Store a couple of years ago
revealed an air-conditioned large shop, brightly lit, four checkouts on the
south side near the entrance, a meat department, handy foods, well-stocked
dairy section on the western wall, on the northern wall beautifully presented
fresh fruit and vegetables, island displays of goods, lots of well-stocked
shelves of groceries, toiletries, etc. then on to the delicatessen department
on the western wall. Crabb’s fresh rolls and hot chickens were popular for
people near and far and, together with a variety of take-away foods, were good
value. The tradition of a calendar at Christmas was continued every year from
1934 till 2020. |
INTERIOR OF STORE #79 |
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INTERIOR OF STORE #80 |
INTERIOR OF STORE #81 |
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CRABB'S FOODLAND VAN 1970s #59
DEMOLITION OF ORIGINAL STORE 1979 #60 |
18 YEAR OLD AILSA CRABB 1955 #61 |
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CRABB'S FOODMASTER STORE 1985 #62 |
CRABB'S FOODMASTER STORE 1985 #63 |
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CRABB'S FOODMASTER STORE 1985 #64 |
CRABB'S SUPA VALU STORE LATE 1980s #65 |
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CRABB'S SUPA VALU STORE 1999c #66 |
JIM & AILSA HARWOOD & THEIR SONS MARK & BRUCE #67 |
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Jim
and Ada Crabb were well known and respected community members in Kalamunda,
best remembered for their determination and courage to make their small business
succeed against the odds. Their tireless and relentless
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ADA & JIMMY CRABB #68 |
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ADVERTISEMENT FROM "THE REPORTER" 23rd JULY 1965 #78 |
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JIMMY CRABB'S FUNERAL 1999 #83 |
Sadly
Ada Crabb passed away in 1990 aged 80 years. After Ada's death Jim moved into Parry House, Three
generations of the family have operated the business over the years. Their three children, David, Ailsa and Don,
have kept that courageous family spirit alive by following in their parent’s
footsteps to keep the legacy going. |
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CRABB'S IGA STORE PRIOR TO CLOSURE IN 2020 #71 |
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BRUCE HARWOOD #69 Sadly
at a meeting of staff on Monday 17th February 2020, that store manager, Bruce Harwood announced
that after 85 years of service to the Kalamunda community, the business was to
close at 7.00p.m., due to physical and financial pressures. Bruce had worked twenty plus years in the business. Signs were placed
on the doors of the store informing the public of the decision that had been
made. It also thanked its loyal supporters. Many families said that they only
survived because of Ada and Jim’s generosity. Pat Hallahan remembers when on
the delivery rounds, Jimmy always said, “If they can’t pay, put it in the book,
they’ll pay me when they can.” It was a
very sad day as one way or another, everyone had a personal Crabb story.
Customers were photographing their children all upset, and others were in tears
hanging around the closed store.
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NOTICE ANNOUNCING CLOSURE OF STORE 2020 #70
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Every endeavour has been made to accurately record the details however if you would like to provide additional images and/or newer information we are pleased to update the details on this site. Please use CONTACT at the top of this page to email us. We appreciate your involvement in recording the history of our area.
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References: Article: Gordon Freegard Images: Ailsa Harwood 1, 72, 73, 74, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 83 Copyright : Gordon Freegard 2008-2023 |
