Welcome. It’s Adrian Bo. And this week I’m on the corner of Alison Road and Belmore Road in Randwick. Literally around the corner of my newly launched office, Ray White Park Coast East, where we service all Eastern Parkside and Coastal Suburbs. And this week I’m here to continue the story I started last week on Mons Avenue in Maroubra about the late Adrian Charles Molloy. I left the story last week when Charles had done a deal with the Egg Marketing Board that enabled him to get access to petrol to fill up his Chevrolet Ute and continue his egg, butter and jam deliveries door to door. Well, that business lasted for a decade until in the late 1940s then Molloy became a salesman for Streets Ice Cream. At the time Peters Ice Cream had a monopoly on the Sydney ice cream market, mainly because they supplied the refrigeration equipment as part of their supply deal with the shops. Gradually Molloy got Streets to take over the supply to the retail shops where the Peters refrigeration contract had ended. After several years selling for Streets Ice Cream, Molloy decided to start selling cars. Initially he did this from his home, but after a while established a dealership here on Peter’s Corner in Randwick, as you can see behind me on the corner of Alison and Belmore. And Belmore is an extension to Cook Street, where on Saturday I sold apartment three, at 25 Cook Street for $1,000,070 being a two bedroom apartment. Now after the Second World War, there was a huge spike in demand for cars. And the second hand car game was rife with bad reputations. In fact, many car salesman ended up in Long Bay Jail for fraud, but Molloy prided himself on being honest and fair. He made a policy that he would give “scoffers” a thousand dollars cash, if they could prove he wasn’t honest and fair.

He ran the car business successfully for 12 years until he gave it up to become a Councillor after selling cars to Mayors, both Harry Jensen and Lionel Bowen. He tried to stand for the Labour Party, but was rejected by them as he had not been a member. So he stood as an Independent. He was on the Randwick Council for 18 years and became Mayor in 1958 until 1962. You have to love an underdog story. I know I do, and Molloy reminds me of someone I happen to know quite well actually. Once married, Charles bought a house on Kyogle Street, very close to Mons Avenue in Maroubra, where his family had lived for quite a few years. And then later he returned to Mons Avenue where he built a new house. His dad introduced him to surfing, which sparked a lifelong love and led him being very heavily involved with the South Maroubra Surf Club. Charles became Captain of the Surf Club, but suffered a terrible loss when his great mate, Harold, who he had called Wally took the role of Beach Inspector. And one day retrieved a body from the beach of a surfer who had drowned a few days before. At that time, it was believed that Wally caught typhoid from the dead body and sadly passed away soon after. However, upon further study, local medics came to the conclusion, it was the raw effluent that poured onto Maroubra Beach at the time from a nearby sewer that had caused Wally’s typhoid unfortunately. Incredible story. It was 20 years later that Molloy and another local legend Bob Wurth chaired a meeting at South Maroubra Surf Club about the issue of sewage coming from the Malabar Sewage Plant. Maroubra Beach was in crisis. The smell from the effluent was causing a very bad reputation.

It was literally quote, unquote “on the nose” and had to be closed when it was particularly bad. The meeting in February, 1970 was a very rowdy affair and the main outcome was the instigation of the Anti Beach Pollution Campaign. The Askin government pledged $17 million to solve the problem, however, the Sydney Morning Herald slaughtered them for not taking the problem seriously enough. The problem continued despite investment in better processing facilities until there was finally a decision in 1984 to build underwater pipelines from Malabar, Bondi and North Head, and then a $310 million investment was made in this underwater construction, which only finally became active in 1990, would you believe? So there has been a huge investment in sewage and for many years, Maroubra Beach has enjoyed pristine conditions, which is outstanding for the community and has also partly been responsible for the surge in Maroubra’s housing market over the past three decades. Maroubra saw an enormous transformation during the lifetime of Charles Molloy and he played a significant role. We really need to keep these stories alive of legends like Charles, and I certainly will, do my part while I’m alive. And I feel it’s my obligation to my community. Given I have an innate interest in general history. Again, my new Ray White Office is located at 126 Avoca Street on the corner of Alison Road. It’s just a short walk from here. So if you’d like to get a sense of how this incredible real estate market has impacted the value of your home or investment property. Please feel free to pop in to my office and have a chat. And I’ll shout you a cup of coffee. Be sure to call, SMS or email me to make an appointment on 0418 278316 or adrian.bo@raywhite.com. Enjoy the fastly approaching yuletide or commonly known as Christmas Season, if you will. And always remember, your home is worth more with Adrian Bo.