By Heather Wade and Kerry Davis, 2022.
Units on the corner of Hayward and Gibbs Street, March 2022.
The first owners of the land on the north western corner of Gibbs and Hayward Streets, now 38 Hayward Street, were John and Denis Rogers.[1] The first shop on the site was a combined small store and bakery and was run by AW Fiskin.[2] The bakery was the first in Harvey.[3]
Fiskin
Fiskin is first mentioned in the newspapers in March 1903. In July 1903 a fire almost destroyed the building:
At midnight on Saturday last a fire occurred at Harvey, which almost completely destroyed the building jointly occupied by Mr A.W. Fiskin, general storekeeper, and Mr J Tragner, saddler. The building comprised a shop and two rooms, and the house contained three rooms. The building was insured and believe to be the property of Mr Turner.[4]
Fiskin opened a new store by the end of the year and his services to the Harvey community were glowingly described:
Mr Fiskin has just opened a fine new store, and if you ask for things you would not expect to get outside of Perth, they seem to come at his bidding; and if you have anything to sell from a bottle to a bullock he is a purchaser.[5] Fiskin sold his premises to Hugh McNeil, a Waroona businessman in 1909 and moved to Cookernup and ran a store.[6]
O’Driscoll/Driscoll
Brothers, James Francis (Frank) and Albert Thomas (Bert) Driscoll went into business together. Initially they ran F&B Driscoll’s Produce Store, formerly Fiskin’s,[7] and placed the following advertisement as general storekeepers in June 1912.[8]
F. & B. Driscoll
General Storekeepers, Harvey.
Agents for :
G.P. Harris, Scarfe & Co. Ltd., Agricultural Machinery,
“Monitor” Windmills, Pumps, Irrigation Plants.
Wilson & Johns – Seeds.
Royal Exchange Insurance Corporation.
Connor, Doherty & Durack – Wool and Skin Buyers, Farm and Station and Land Agents.
W.A. Producers’ Union. Cumming Smith Manures.
Dealers in Gelignite, Detonators, Fuse, Galvanised Iron, Metters’ Stoves, Westral Gramaphones and Records, Drapery, Ironmongery and Produce.
Our Groceries are the cleanest and best selected in the South-West.
They purchased a second business, Harvey Drapery and Boot Company in Hayward Street in 1914 (now 29 Hayward Street) which was being run by Bert by 13 March, and Frank continued to run the grocery. The partnership was dissolved on 1 January 1915, Frank in his own right continued to run the produce store and Bert in his own right, the Drapery.[9]
R-L Fence, then the two premises housing the business run by F & B Driscoll – the small shop with the sign ‘Agents for Geo. P Harris, Scarfe & Co’ and the much bigger F & B Driscoll Produce Merchants. Note the horse rail in front of the shop. The site later became the Harvey Hostel site. Continuing R-L, Gibbs Street, a house with a porch, Draper, (1913 – 1916 run by Bert Driscoll). Photo taken before 1925. Colourised photo courtesy of Memories of Harvey Facebook.
In October 1916, plans were approved for a new shop 30ft x 18ft which Frank’s firm proposed to erect.[10] Bert enlisted in the AIF on 3 January 1917. In March 1917, Mr Gibbs advertised business premises to let, lately occupied by the Harvey Drapery Co.[11]
Tom Naughton moved to Harvey and was associated with Frank Driscoll in a large storekeeping business and may have been a partner in it.[12]
Harvey Hostel
A fire on 29 December 1924 practically burnt the business premises and house to the ground.[13] Two years later, in December 1926, on the site of Driscoll’s Produce store, Frank was having a large and commodious coffee palace built. It was to have a double shop front and contain 20 rooms for accommodation with a large dining room, 22ft x 30ft and was expected to be ready for occupation early in 1927.[14] In May 1927 the new building was described thus:
On the corner of Gibb and Hayward Streets, facing the Railway Station has just been completed and furnished, the commodious building now known as Driscoll’s Hotel. This place will fill a much needed want in the town. Centrally situated, electric light installed, in all the rooms, hot and cold baths, with accommodation for twenty permanent boarders, besides catering for meals only, visitors can in future, be assured of a place to stay which will meet the requirements of the most exacting. The dining room is under the personal supervision of Mrs. Driscoll and the tariff will be found to be very moderate.[15] Driscoll’s Hotel was also known as Harvey Hostel.
The Harvey Hostel was up for sale in July 1929 as Frank had been declared bankrupt.[16]
Far right – Harvey Hostel on the north side of Gibbs Streets, late 1930s or early 1940s.
The Harvey Hostel was an important institution in town for social activities and for housing single men and women. During the early years it was the place to hold wedding receptions, 21st birthdays and dinner parties. We have been able to identify the following proprietors, but not all.
Peeps Harvey Hostel, June 1929.[17]
Mrs E King, May 1932[18] to November 1933. HARVEY HOSTEL (Under New Management) Where Everything is of the Best MRS. E. KING – Proprietress (Late of the Timber Mills) Meals at all Hours Dainty Afternoon Teas Tobacco and Cigarettes MODERATE TARIFF.[19]
Mrs Hannan, From November 1933. HARVEY HOSTEL (Late King’s Hostel) MRS. HANNAN, late of Pemberton and Perth, wishes to announce that she has taken over the Harvey Hostel. DINNER PARTIES AND WEDDINGS CATERED FOR Excellent Meals and Accommodation. Reasonable Tariff.[20]
Mrs Donald Smith, by August 1935.
Western Mail, 15 Aug 1935, p.11.
Mr & Mrs Bell, to July 1937. They left Harvey after running the Harvey Hostel for some time.[21]
Mrs Alice Latch, 1938 to at least 1943. Taking over the control of the business nearly two years ago Mrs Latch is assisted in its administration by her husband, who is also a popular identity of the town, a well-known and keen horticulturalist.[22] Mrs Latch was still listed in the WA Post Office Directories in 1946 but there is no listing for the Harvey Hostel in 1947/8.
Harvey Hostel, Pop Latch, Violet Latch, George Latch, Vera Palmer, Bill Maitland, Alice Latch, unknown. Front: boarders.
Photo courtesy of Kerry Davis.
Kevin Wuillemin’s grandmother, 1940’s (surname unknown)[23] Athol J Wuillemin married Beatrice Hahn in 1937 in Kalgoorlie. They were living in Gibbs St, Harvey in the 1943 Electoral Rolls.
Mrs L Olsen, from at least October 1946 and she is listed in the 1949 WA Post Office Directories. WANTED—HOUSEMAID. Apply Mrs. Olsen, Harvey Hostel.[24]
Mr and Mrs SG Gardiner, to February 1950. They left Harvey during the week to reside in Perth after disposing of the Harvey Hostel to Mr. and Mrs. A. Fenning, of Wokalup.[25]
Mr & Mrs A Fenning, February 1950 to February 1954.
Mr & Mrs Dick and Mary Ponikvar, from February 1954. The Baltimore Cafe in Uduc Road, Harvey, has recently been taken over by Mr. Joe Sgambelluri. The previous proprietors, Mr. and Mrs. Dick and Mary Ponkinvar [sic], are now the new proprietors of the Harvey Hostel.[26] In the 1972 electoral rolls Ludvic and Franciska Mary Ponikvar, were listed as guest house proprietors and in 1980 at 2 Wright Street as proprietors.
Kitchener’s ran the boarding house prior to demolition.
The building was vacant for at least three years. There was a photograph in the Western Farmer and Grazier, 3 July 1980 showing ‘An old weatherboard restaurant and hostel, now disused which stands opposite the post office in Hayward Street.’
In May 1983 Harvey Hostel was demolished.[27] Units were built on the corner and still stand there today.
Ready for demolition c1982. Photo courtesy of Kerry Davis.
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[1] AC Staples, They Made Their Destiny – History of Settlement of the Shire of Harvey 1829 – 1929, Shire of Harvey, Bunbury, Western Australia, 1979, p. 386.
[2] Harvey Murray Times, 11 May 1951, p. 1.
[3] Harvey-Waroona Mail, 9 September 1955, p. 2.
[4] Bunbury Herald, 8 July, 1903, p. 3.
[5] Bunbury Herald, 21 Dec 1903, p. 2.
[6] Southern Times, 11 March 1909, p. 3.
[7] Harvey-Waroona Mail, 9 September 1955, p. 2.
[8] South Western Advertiser, 7 June 1912, p. 8.
[9] West Australian, 5 February 1915, p. 1.
[10] Southern Times, 10 Oct 1916, p. 4.
[11] West Australian, 7 March 1917, p. 3.
[12] Western Australian Record, 13 Apr 1918, p. 7
[13] South Western Times, 13 Jan 1925, p. 4.
[14] Bunbury Herald and Blackwood Express, 24 December 1926, p. 2.
[15] Bunbury Herald and Blackwood Express, 11 May 1927, p. 4.
[16] Sunday Times, 7 July 1929, p. 11.
[17] Bunbury Herald and Blackwood Express, 5 June 1929, p3.
[18] Harvey Murray Times, 20 May 1932, p. 2.
[19] Harvey Murray Times, 16 September 1932, p. 4.
[20] Harvey Murray Times, 30 November 1933, p. 4.
[21] Harvey Murray Times, 23 July 1937, p. 3.
[22] Harvey Murray Times, 7 Nov 1940, p. 3.
[23] Harvey History Online Facebook.
[24] Harvey-Waroona Mail, 18 October 1946, p. 2.
[25] Harvey-Waroona Mail, 3 February 1950, p. 3.
[26] Harvey Murray Times, 12 February 1954, p. 14.
[27] Harvey Reporter, 3 January 1990 ‘The 1980s … as we saw it’.