Welcome it’s Adrian Bo. And this week I’m at Mons Avenue in Maroubra to talk about a former resident and local legend who lived in Maroubra for over 90 years and had a major impact on the local community. In fact, this gentleman’s story is so diverse and interesting that I’m going to tell it over two parts. Adrian Charles Molloy or Charles Molloy, as he was known, participated in Maroubra’s evolution from a small ocean front suburb of Sydney to the amazing beach side village it is today. Originally christened “Adrian”, one day a teacher at Maroubra Junction School brought him to the front of the class and said, “Wouldn’t you think a boy with a name like Adrian could do better than this?” From that time onward, he referred to himself as Charles. I reckon Adrian is a great name for obvious reasons. Now, many years later, when Charles was Mayor of Randwick, that same teacher, Mr. Davies came in for a meeting with him on behalf of the teacher’s son about developing a block of units, and Molloy certainly enjoyed the reversal of power. His family moved here to Mons Avenue in the 1920s where his father ran a tailoring and dressmaking business from home. In the 1930s, there were three tennis courts made of clay near his house, and he got a job making the lines and watering and rolling the courts as a kid.

He was paid four shillings a week, but more importantly, it gave him free use of the courts. As a result, he became the best tennis player at Maroubra Junction School. He made a good friend, Viv McGrath, who went to Maroubra Bay School. Charles and Viv would regularly play tennis on the street back when cars would only go by every 20 minutes or so. Viv went on to become one of the best players in the world. And I’ll cover more about Viv’s story in another episode, because that’s a cracker tale in itself. Charles Molloy left school during the depression and finding work was very tough. He would often go down to the wharf where there would be a queue of 30 to 40 young guys when only four or five would be hired each day. He decided to live from his own wits. He sold butter and eggs door to door. He bought the first Chevrolet Ute in Sydney from a dealer on Paramatta Road, but he had to sell a lot of eggs and butter just to make the car payment each and every month. He and his partner would buy eggs and butter from farms near Liverpool and Ingleburn. They bought huge blocks of butter and then chopped it into small blocks and packaged them in their own wrapper. They also made their own jam and started to sell their products to the local shops. At one point there was a petrol shortage which made it virtually impossible to get.

Charles did a deal with the Egg Marketing Board to make deliveries for them, which meant they would fill his Ute up with petrol and he could continue selling eggs, butter, and jam door to door as well. Pretty switched on this, Adrian, I mean, Charles, sorry. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I’ll continue the story of Adrian Charles Molloy next week, and it’s a humdinger! Back to modern day and the Maroubra real estate market has had a massive year. Three-bedroom houses in Maroubra now have a median price of $2.13 million, 28.35% higher than last year. Four-bedroom houses in Maroubra have seen a 6.5% increase on the back of a 27.7% increase last year. Five-bedroom houses in Maroubra are up a colossal 43.7% this year. And there have been 40 homes of five-bedrooms in Maroubra sold this year compared to only 11 last year. An incredible market! I hope you enjoyed episode one of the life and times of Charles Molloy. I’ll continue that story next week. If you’d like to know what your home is currently worth, I’ve been selling real estate in the Maroubra, Coogee, Randwick, and Clovelly, and surrounding areas for over 32 years and I’d be delighted to appraise your home or investment property. My phone number is 0418 278 316, or email adrian.bo@raywhite.com. Please enjoy the end of the school term and always remember your home is worth more with Adrian Bo.