Photos > Cafes, Shops & Cinemas

submitted by Peter Tsicalas on 16.07.2004

The Kiosk, Ballina, 1960

On the short list of cafes providing an idyllic lifestyle for their proprietors was The Kiosk on the waterfront at East Ballina. From 1944 to 48 a bloke simply identified as ‘Mr Feros’ had it, probably Mick George Feros or possibly George Jim Feros, but it’s doubtful he lived on site. The Tzortopoulos family took over 10yrs later and lived on site for about 9yrs, but any interim Greeks have yet to be identified. Ditto pre 1944.

Jim Tzortopoulos arrived from Kythera via a sojourn in Piraeus in the early 1950s and worked for a few years at Kyogle before acquiring The Kiosk in 1958, the same year his wife, Garifalia, nee Coroneos, and family turned up. Garifalia was the sister of the copious Coroneos living around the region - Mrs Katina Stan Gleeson of Kyogle, Mrs Anna Peter Crethar of Lismore and Jim, Peter and Leo of all over the place.

The Kiosk was a popular spot for squillions of holidaymakers, both day-trippers and tent city residents, through the 1950s, 60s and 70s, and living on site gave the Poulos a lifestyle envied by all. Sometime in the late 1960s they acquired the Monterey café of the unconnected George and Peter Anastasios Poulos in the Ballina CBD and operated both businesses until 1973. And then for some odd reason gave it all away to retire in Canberra.

A piece of Ballina history was lost in 2001 when the Kiosk suffered severe storm damage and the Council took the opportunity to turn it into a vacant lot. The valuable site remains in limbo as Ballina, like all coastal towns growing like the clappers, becomes urbanised and kills off the old Australian beach culture (although tent city is not going down without a fight, with caravan parks becoming the new battle ground for cheap accommodation as house prices soar beyond the reach of many.)

There was still a Greek presence at East Ballina until recently, with Archie Poulos, the son of Peter Anastasios Poulos and Frosso Mentis, the daughter of Angelo and Theodora, nee Crethar, operating an Italian restaurant at Shaws Bay, about a 100yds from the old Kiosk.

[Settlement around the Richmond, a province of the Kingdom of Karavas, was certainly an interconnected family affair. Falia Poulos’s brother, Jim John Coroneos, arrived in town in 1953 and acquired the café next door to the Plaza Theatre in River Street. He had first landed with his brother Angelo pre WW1 and been in partnership with Peter Conomos at Kyogle from the early 1920s until selling up in 1931 and returning to Karavas to establish an olive oil making factory and woo the Greek American, Maria Mentis, the sister of Nick Con Mentis of Tenterfield. Post WW2 he decided to introduce Maria to surf board riding and came back to settle at Ballina after another stint in Kyogle. Unfortunately, he died shortly afterwards, in early 1957, whereupon Maria and children figured the surfing mecca of Ballina was a con job and sold out to Jim’s brothers, Peter and Leo Coroneos, to return to the holy waters of Karavas. Jim lies with Angelo at Casino, where the latter had died in 1924.

Coroneos continuity lasted into the 1980s. Peter and Leo passed the café to their niece, Mary Black, the daughter of Anna Peter Crethar, who passed it to her sister, Matina, who passed it to her son, Peter Coronakes, who finally broke the connection when he returned to Lismore to become a property tycoon.]

(Psst: A bloke simply identified as ‘S. Coroneo’ converted the Lismore Federal Hall into a cinema in early 1927. Does anyone know anything about him?)

2 Comments

submitted by
Marina Fitzpatrick
on 27.08.2004

Dear Peter, there are a few points I would like to clarify for histories sake....The owner of the kiosk in the photo at Shaws Bay, East Ballina, Garifalia Poulos (nee Coroneos) was my great aunty, sister of my grandmother Anna Peter Crethar (d 15.03.94). It was great to see the photo - igniting lost memories of the many,many hours we spent there as children. It certainly was an idyllic lifestyle. The siblings, born in Karavas, were Jim, Anna ,Peter, Angelo, Leo, Katina Falia, & Con the only one who remained in Kythera. All are now deceased. My grandparents, Peter and Anna Crethar had four children Matina, Marianthi, Nick(dec.) and John. My father George Mavromatis (surname change to Black) and mother Marianthi (Mary), daughter of Anna & Peter Crethar, purchased 'The New Milk Bar' next to the picture theatre, 65 River Street Ballina in 1964, from Jim's children Johnny and sister Georgina Coroneos. Jim had died from a brain tumor(?) Peter & Leo never owned this shop. John & Georgina then returned to Kythera, to reunite with their sister Marianthi who currently owns the delicious biscuit and Kytherian thyme honey shop in Potamos. My father & mother sold the shop to their nephews, brothers Alex & Peter Coronakes in 1970. They in turn passed it on to their mother Matina, mum's sister, who finally " broke the Coroneos connection " in 1976. I'm sure Peter would laugh at being labelled a 'property tycoon', but indeed a very hardworking, successful businessmen as is Alex who continues in his father's (Spero Coronakes,Corfu)footsteps as a fruiterer in Lismore. In approx 1967 Falia & Jim Poulos established a Fish & Chip shop next door to our milk bar, not the Monterey cafe as you stated. My father wasn't too impressed. George & Peter Anastasios Poulos sold the Monterey and it was closed and converted to something other than a milk bar.Their wives Botta & Frosso - mother of Helen, Archie and Dorothy, worked with us at the New Milk Bar. Falia & Jim operated the Fish & Chip shop with the East Ballina kiosk for several years before closing it down. They had four children, Tessia, Marianthi, Sophie & Theodora (Doris). Within one block of our shop in River Street was Leo's games palour. Leo sold it to Phillip & Helen Ferris in the late 60's (who expanded it into a milk bar('The Dolphin Cafe') and went to Sydney with wife Helen & their four children Mary, John, Chrisoula & Angela. Peter Coroneos also lived in Ballina, operating a guest house at the far eastern end of River Street. He had one son David. Katina Coroneos married Stan Gleeson and were proprietors of the ' Fairymount Cafe' at Kyogle. When Stan died,Katina moved to Kirra,on the Gold Coast and then finally to Brisbane. They had two children, Con & Sylvia. Marina Fitzpatrick(Black)

submitted by
Archie Poulos
on 06.09.2004

I am the Archie Poulos mentioned in the article. Thanks Peter putting this up, and Marina for the corrections. marina and I grew up together. Just some things to add by way of correction and embellishment. Jim and Garifalia sold the kiosk to the Cladwell family who were not Greek. This family opened a sit down restuarant in the section on the rightb hand side of the Photo called the Luana Room which was popular in Ballina for it had possibilty the best view in Ballina. Jijm and Garifalia did not buy acquire the Monterey cafe after leaving the Kiosk, but as Marina said built and ran a fish shop further down River Street on the other side of the road to the Moneterey cafe. the Monterey cafe was owned by my parents Peter and Frosso Poulos and my aunt and unlce George and Botta Poulos. They sold this business in 1966 to an Italian family by the name od De Re. I do not operate an Italian restaurant in Ballina. I live in Sydney and lecture in theology at Moore Theological College. My sister Helen, used to work at the Kiosk in her primary school days and later for Jim and Garifalia in River Street. helen used to man the dressing sheds, where for 2 pence you could have a hot shower and get changed. I recall the dressing sheds having a small 100 mm high "bath" through which you walked after paying your fee to remove sand from feet. the busiest day of the year was boxing day, when there was no room to move in the dressing sheds.