Remember This? Bankstown Square Advertisement (1969)

Below is a 1969 newspaper advertisement from The Sun promoting Bankstown Square as the "Australia's Greatest Shopping Centre".

Source: Bankstown Square. 1969. "Bankstown Square Australia's Greatest Shopping Centre" (Advertisement). The Sun, June 19: 14. 

Entry of Interest

MILESTONE: Bankstown Square Opens (1966)

1999: Why Bankstown lost the Olympic Road Cycling Races

In the 2000 Olympic Games, Bankstown hosted track cycling events at the Dunc Gray Velodrome in Bass Hill, which was built specifically for the Olympics. It is currently the only indoor cycling venue in New South Wales.

Did you know that Bankstown Council was to host Olympic road cycling events until The Sydney Morning Herald stepped in?

Why Bankstown?

The Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) had initially been selected for the Eastern Suburbs. The Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox Studios did not want the course running through its "front door".

In response, SOCOG moved the road cycling events to Bankstown because of lower operating costs and "fewer roundabouts". Track Cycling events were being hosted at Bankstown (Bass Hill), and their onsite media centre could be utilised by media agencies covering the road events. 

The Sydney Morning Herald adds its two cents

On May 28 1999, The Sydney Morning Herald published a report on Page 1 written by Olympics Editor Matthew Moore. Two leading cyclists - Brett Dutton and Stephen Hodge, tested the course around Bankstown.

It was deemed "too flat" and would not attract leading international cyclists while praising the course running through the Eastern Suburbs. 

SOCOG backflips

Days after the article was published, SOCOG withdrew plans to undertake the road cycling events in Bankstown on the grounds of traffic congestion on local roads. This decision was not welcomed by Bankstown locals, including Bankstown Council. A modified course for the Eastern Suburbs was prepared and ultimately was the route used during the Olympic Games. 

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Source: Trute, P. 1999. "A suburb betrayed". The Daily Telegraph, June 3: 9. 

I can understand why Bankstown locals were unhappy, and it comes down to equity and the east vs. west rivalry that is so common in Sydney. Bankstown is real suburbia and would have given the locals an opportunity to experience the Olympic Games in their own neighbourhood without having to pay for the privilege or travel to the eastern suburbs to watch the race. 

1992: The BBC Home Depot - The foreunner to Bunnings!!!

In 1992, BBC Hardware opened the first of their Home Depot stores at Bankstown, introducing Sydneysiders to the concept of big-box hardware stores. By 1994, they were branded as Hardwarehouse. In 2001, owners (Howard Smith Limited) sold the stores to Wesfarmers, which were then absorbed into the network of Bunnings Warehouse stores.

Bunnings no longer trade on the Canterbury Road site, relocating several kilometres west to a larger site on Milperra Road at Bankstown Airport. Other bulky retailers including Officeworks and PetBarn occupy the former site.

Below is a series of advertisements that were published in October 1992 in The Daily Telegraph Mirror.

MILESTONE: Bankstown Square Opens (1966)

Source: Anon. 1966. "New trends set by $17m regional project". The Sydney Morning Herald, September 20:20.

Today, Bankstown Central (formerly known as Bankstown Square) turns fifty. In 1966 there was a much fanfare when its doors opened for the first time to shoppers. Back then, it had the title of the biggest shopping centre in Australia, with more than 100 shops. It had seized the title from nearby Roselands, which itself had opened just 12 months before.

The centre was officially opened by Lady Cutler (wife of NSW Governor Sir Roden Cutler) on September 21, 1966. Lady Cutler Drive was named in her honour.

I'll keep it simple with a random assortment of clippings from The Torch which produced a special edition one day before its opening on September 20, 1966. 

The first clipping is a two-page spread documenting its construction, which occurred over a two year period.

Some photos of the opening on September 21 as published in The Torch on September 28, 1966. 130 000 were reported to have attended the opening.

I have included an editorial from the September 21, 1966, edition of The Torch which was the opening day

The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader published a map in its September 21 edition.

Facts of interest:

• Lend Lease were developers and construction costs were $17 million.
• The original centre had around 130 shops, compared with the 250 today. 
• Parking was available for 2500 cars. 
• Major tenants included David Jones, Nock & Kirby's, Woolworths and BigW. Woolworths and BigW are still based in the centre while David Jones left in 2007 (now occupied by Myer). 

Below are some advertisements for some of the major retailers:

David Jones

Woolworths

Woolworths Variety

Palmers

Nock & Kirbys

BigW