14 February 2012

Signage archaeology in O'Connor

| johnboy
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o'connor awnings

As the gentlemen in high vis clobber swarmed over the stricken All Bar Nun to transform it into the fast approaching Duxton a curious thing happened to the iconic awning fronting Macpherson Street.

As captured here by Holden Caulfield the signage for the long ago Nha Hang Vietnamese restaurant was revealed. Complete with six digit phone number.

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steveu said :

Good shot. But no thanks for making me feel old. :-S
Canberra is building up a heritage, this sort of stuff is good value IMHO.

ahh…dont feel old………i can remember this joint when it was called miller’s corner store

How long since we had 6-digit numbers? I’d guess 1990.

moneypenny26129:57 pm 14 Feb 12

Holden Caulfield said :

I’m not sure why they left O’Connor Shops, but at first they went to Hobart place in the city; downstairs below the AEC office.

They suffered flood damage at that location (no fault of theirs) and subsequently ended up in Griffith. I guess they’ve been there for 7-8 years now.

Huh. I’d always wondered what happened to the Hobart Pl Vietnamese. Best salt and pepper quail I ever had. Plus I loved the long corridor back to the toilets – that, the big doors, and the unnatural lighting made it feel like a bit like a hospital.

Griffith. And Macquarie. All this time. Gob smacked.

BuzzwordBingo9:19 pm 14 Feb 12

taninaus said :

so no signage uncovered for the men’s club that used to operate upstairs?

The sign for ‘Macpherson Chambers’ used only to be visible above the alleyway behind the Fisho…

so no signage uncovered for the men’s club that used to operate upstairs?

I forgot to include the compulsory futile whinge about the creeping tide of septic spelling. So sorry.

Archaeology.

jsm2090 said :

I’m pretty sure they’re the same owners. ‘yummy chicken’ and ‘yummy beef’ were oft recited by waiters as dishes to pick when we visited both restaurants.

Well, I’ve never been to the Griffith one, but I can certainly recommend the Macquarie one.

I’m pretty sure they’re the same owners. ‘yummy chicken’ and ‘yummy beef’ were oft recited by waiters as dishes to pick when we visited both restaurants.

Rollersk8r said :

Holden Caulfield said :

They suffered flood damage at that location (no fault of theirs) and subsequently ended up in Griffith. I guess they’ve been there for 7-8 years now.

You’re half right. They went from O’Connor, to Hobart Place, then to Griffith AND Macquarie. Cheeky old Tan splits his time between the two.

Macquarie? Did the ownership there change 7-8 years ago? Because the same restaurant has been there for at least 20 years.

Holden Caulfield3:27 pm 14 Feb 12

Rollersk8r said :

Holden Caulfield said :

shadow boxer said :

As someone said it was universally known as the O’connor Vietnamese.

lots of good times had in that restaurant, is it really the same people in Griffith ?

Yes.

I’m not sure why they left O’Connor Shops, but at first they went to Hobart place in the city; downstairs below the AEC office.

They suffered flood damage at that location (no fault of theirs) and subsequently ended up in Griffith. I guess they’ve been there for 7-8 years now.

You’re half right. They went from O’Connor, to Hobart Place, then to Griffith AND Macquarie. Cheeky old Tan splits his time between the two.

I think I have a vague recollection of the Macquarie location. Thanks!

New Yeah said :

As long as they don’t use the same font as Debacle uses, what a travesty to the written word that is.

Comic Sans?

Holden Caulfield said :

shadow boxer said :

As someone said it was universally known as the O’connor Vietnamese.

lots of good times had in that restaurant, is it really the same people in Griffith ?

Yes.

I’m not sure why they left O’Connor Shops, but at first they went to Hobart place in the city; downstairs below the AEC office.

They suffered flood damage at that location (no fault of theirs) and subsequently ended up in Griffith. I guess they’ve been there for 7-8 years now.

You’re half right. They went from O’Connor, to Hobart Place, then to Griffith AND Macquarie. Cheeky old Tan splits his time between the two.

I hope the Duxton uses a similar font for their signs. But I am sure to be disappointed.

As long as they don’t use the same font as Debacle uses, what a travesty to the written word that is.

Holden Caulfield1:55 pm 14 Feb 12

shadow boxer said :

As someone said it was universally known as the O’connor Vietnamese.

lots of good times had in that restaurant, is it really the same people in Griffith ?

Yes.

I’m not sure why they left O’Connor Shops, but at first they went to Hobart place in the city; downstairs below the AEC office.

They suffered flood damage at that location (no fault of theirs) and subsequently ended up in Griffith. I guess they’ve been there for 7-8 years now.

Now track-down the former owners/operators and interview them!

shadow boxer1:02 pm 14 Feb 12

As someone said it was universally known as the O’connor Vietnamese.

lots of good times had in that restaurant, is it really the same people in Griffith ?

OzChick said :

Nha Hang = Restaurant in Vietnamese

So it was called Restaurant Vietnamese Restaurant? Anyone know the actual name of the place?

OzChick said :

Nha Hang = Restaurant in Vietnamese

So it was called Restaurant Vietnamese Restaurant? Anyone know the actual name of the place?

It was called “Vietnam Restaurant” in English (part of English name obscured). The translation of the (Northern) Vietnamese name is “Vietnamese restaurant”.

Holden Caulfield12:53 pm 14 Feb 12

OzChick said :

Nha Hang = Restaurant in Vietnamese

So it was called Restaurant Vietnamese Restaurant? Anyone know the actual name of the place?

As far as I know it was called (and still is, if you go to Griffith) “Vietnam Restaurant”.

Nha Hang = Restaurant in Vietnamese

So it was called Restaurant Vietnamese Restaurant? Anyone know the actual name of the place?

I wonder if there’s another layer under this one, or did the ‘awnings’ just go up for the Vietnamese restaurant?

Good shot. But no thanks for making me feel old. :-S
Canberra is building up a heritage, this sort of stuff is good value IMHO.

Rawhide Kid Part310:38 am 14 Feb 12

Talk about a “Time Warp”

Nice piece of heritage you captured, HC. Thanks!

shadow boxer9:46 am 14 Feb 12

haha, that is gold, I did come across some graffti in southwell Park the other day that said “Kylie was ere 81” and “Kiss rules”.

It had been sitting there happily for 30 years and I think it takes over from the (now removed) “sex pistols” that was carved into the carved concrete footpath near Kings Ave as Canberra’s oldest graffiti.

The last time I saw that font for Vietnam was in Surfing World magazine in 1973.

Holden Caulfield9:27 am 14 Feb 12

Thanks JB. Took me back a number of years when I saw that!

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