American Bar - George Sklavos - Brisbane, circa 1916.

From, Denis A. Conomos, The Greeks in Queensland. A History from 1859-1945. 2002.
p. 119.

"In about 1912, the Kytherian, George Sklavos, opened the American Milk Bar at 276-278 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, having apparently spent some time in America and observed the latest milk bar developments there.

His shop was one of the most modern of its type at the time, and it became a model which many of its owner's compatriots were to copy. A modern version of the old 'refreshment rooms', it sold the usual pies, sandwiches, cakes, hot beverages and confectionery, but with the help of the new milk-bat technolgy, it was able to offer more. Malted milks, freshly made fruit drinks, ice-cream sodas and sundaes became important new items on the menu.

Customers either stood at the counter to be served, or sat at the tables, which seated more than one hundred people.

There was a staff of about fifteen, both males and females.

Panagiotis Dimitris Feros (Peter Feros), who worked there in 1915, has descibed the shop as having 'every facility known to the game then.'"

This same photograph of George Sklavos's "American Bar" can also be viewed on page 112 of, Denis A. Conomos, The Greeks in Queensland. A History from 1859-1945. 2002.



Copies of Denis's books are available from the Kytherian Association of Australia, and, from George Poulos, who, amongst other things, is a current Committee Member of the Association. (2004).


To view a larger collection of photo's, including many Kytherian-Australian photo's go to

http://www.cybernaut.com.au/greeksinoz/photographs/photos.htm


Thanks to Maria Hill, for allowing us to reproduce Kytherian photographs at kythera-island.....