Hammond and Hanlon – Men of Vision
On February 9, 1915, Roy Hammond and Ted Hanlon as partners with very little capital opened a little grocery store in Boorowa Street just east of the then Royal Hotel, now the Mill Tavern. Their first customer was Mrs McIllhatton, licensee of the Burrangong Hotel, which was on the Boorowa Road just before Garribaldi Gully.
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They were only trading for three months when disaster struck. At 10.00pm on Saturday, 21st May, a fire was noticed in the store, emanating from the cellar. Mr Trudgett rang the Lynch Street fire bell, and this was quickly followed by the bell at the fire station on Lovell Street. The brigade was quickly on the scene and began pumping water on the blaze from a well in the yard of the Royal Hotel.
Some persons battered down the main entrance door, but this proved a mistake because when the air got in the flames leapt higher and soon the verandah was on fire. It was soon obvious that the building could not be saved, so attention was directed to the adjoining premises.
George Manns boot repair shop was broken in to, and stock and sewing machines were saved. Mr Black, who resided in the back of this little shop, saved much of his belongings. Mr Pickburn, the dentist, had his residence saved, although the heat caused some of the window panes to break. On the western side of the burning building Thomas Mullaly’s store for a long time looked as if it was going to be destroyed, but after great effort, it was saved. At the back of the building, a great effort was being made to gain access to the cellar. Mr T Flemming was the first to enter the cellar, and the hose taken down underneath the burning floor. The smoke was suffocating, and Firemen, Keevil, T.Rogan, H. James, S. Bottom, R. Hines, and C. Forde all took turns fighting the fire underneath the floor.
Some excitement was created when James Short fell into the uncovered well; he was floundering about in the icy water until “Duck” Armstrong went to his rescue.
The stock was only partially insured, and a heavy loss was suffered. The building, although the oldest in town, was solidly constructed with brick walls which were not greatly damaged and was well insured. The building had previously been occupied by Richard Starr and later Miller and Johnson. The licensee of the Royal Hotel offered the loan of its Sample Room as a temporary store until their premises were replaced.(Note: Most of the better class hotels had a sample room where Commercial Travellers and Company reps. Would display their products and local storekeepers could place their orders.)
Roy enlisted and served for two years in the first world war and was invalided home after being wounded in action. When recovered he carried on in business with his partner. Business was hard during the war years, but when the war ended, with an influx of returned men being established in the district, business flourished, and the premises expanded. ( to be continued)
