Harry's Cafe de wheels, a short history
The first pie at Harry's after deployment to Asia, was anticipated as much as the first Nasi Goreng at Moes Stall, Sambawang, upon arrival at Singapore. Legends in their own right.
"The story of 'Harry's Caf? de Wheels' goes back to the depression years of the late 1930's.
With the world on the brink of a devastating war, an enterprising Sydneysider by the name of Harry Edwards opened a caravan caf? near the front gates of the Woolloomooloo naval dockyard. Word spread quickly with Harry's 'pie n' peas' and crumbed sausages soon becoming a popular part of the city's nightlife - keenly sought by sailors, soldiers, cabbies, starlets and coppers alike. Harry operated the caravan until 1938 when he enlisted in the AIF during WWII.
During Harry's time in the Middle East, he was nicknamed "Tiger" due to his boxing prowess and the name stuck. Upon his return in 1945, Harry realised that Sydney hadn't changed much and it was still almost impossible to get a good feed late-night, so he reopened and the caravan has been operating continuously since.
The phrase 'Caf? de Wheels' came about as the city council of the day insisted that mobile food caravans move a minimum of 12 inches a day. Harry dutifully obeyed and thus the name was expanded to Harry's Caf? de Wheels. Before the councils ruling, the caravan was known simply as 'Harry's.' When its wheels went missing one night, local wags coined the nickname 'Caf? de Axle.' Harry operated the caravan for a further 30 years before selling the business to Alex Koronya in 1975.
By 1988, Alex was getting on in years and the business had fallen on hard times. Current owner, Michael Hannah, made Alex an offer to purchase the business and the exchange took place on Australia Day 1988. Michael is the first Australian born owner of Harry's and as a child his father, a Sydney cabbie, would take he and his siblings down to the loo for a pie at Harry's. In 1970, Michael returned from a tour of duty in Vietnam and his first stop after disembarking the HMAS Sydney was of course Harry's. It would be another 17 years until Michael purchased the business.
Michael believes Harry's finest moment came in 1978 when Rear Admiral David Martin - over a pie and glass of Champagne - commissioned the caravan as 'HMAS Harry's.'
In December 2004, Harry's was classified by the National Trust of Australia (NSW) and included on its Register. Per the National Trust of Australia, Harry's is a 'quintessential Sydney icon' and in the Trust's opinion, falls within the following definition:
'Those places which are components of the natural or the cultural environment of Australia, that have aesthetic, historical, architectural, archaeological, scientific, or social significance or other special value for future generations, as well as for the present community.'
As the years have passed, Harry's has become a 'must' for visiting celebrities. Harry's has served up the likes of Frank Sinatra, Robert Mitchum, Marelene Dietrich, Kerry Packer and more recently, Sir Richard Branson, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Brook Shields, Pat Rafter, Olivia Newton-John, Jerry Lewis, Billy Crystal, Pamela Anderson, Sara O'Hare, Lachlan Murdoch, Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Adrian Greiner, Anthony Bourdain and Peter Blakely.
In 1974, chicken king, Colonel Sanders, stopped at Harry's and enjoyed the food so much that he ate three 'pies and peas' while leaning on his walking stick in front of the caravan.
Elton John has also been a visitor to Harry's over the years and held a press conference from inside Harry's during the 1970's.
And then there's the album . . . in 1990, Peter Blakely released his debut album 'Harry's Caf? de Wheels' which went platimum.
Harry's has become so popular with the celebrities that in 1991, Rupert Murdoch had pies shipped to Los Angeles for an Australian themed Oscar's party. But you definitely don't have to be a celebrity to enjoy Harry's, just hungry. Since its initial opening in the 1930's, Harry's has withstood the test of time. A trio Harry's lets you enjoy authentic Aussie tucker while taking a trip back through Harry's history."
I’m pretty sure the dinosaurs died out when they stopped gathering food and started having meetings to discuss gathering food
A bookshop is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking
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Keeping it simple is complicated.
Originally Posted by carlschmid2002
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