Temporary bakery approved

A LANDMARK building in central High St is to be given a new lease of life as the new home of  Banjo's Bakery in New Norfolk. At tonight's Derwent Valley Council workshop, general manager Stephen Mackey announced that a permit had been issued to enable Banjo's to open a temporary bakery cafe in vacant premises at 38 High St.

The news comes almost four months after the original Banjo's outlet was destroyed along with two other businesses in a disastrous fire that brought down the century-old Lee Building on the High St/Burnett St corner. Soon after the fire, rumours abounded that the bakery would reopen in the recently closed Joe's Supermarket, a prime location next to the post office. In a recent issue of the Derwent Valley Gazette, a Banjo's spokesman confirmed the plan to open at an undisclosed temporary location but reaffirmed that the long-term plan was to return to the corner spot.

The new location also has a long history, having been built as O'Brien's General Store in 1929. The business also included drapery and a bakehouse. From the early 1960s it was run by Rayner Bros as a supermarket and they eventually sold to Purity (now Woolworths) who operated there until building the present Charles St supermarket in 1983. The High St location continued as a supermarket until earlier this year. It has operated under various independent grocery business names and had several major upgrades including in the late 1980s when Ali Sultan reintroduced an in-store bakery. The most recent owner/operator was Joe Mohammed who completed a major revovation about 10 years ago.