Peter's childhood Mecca

In 1965 - just as I remember

I grew up on a farm in Australia, about 700 kilometres north of Sydney. The Catholic primary school I went to is still there in the small town of Woodburn, which was about 5 kilometres from our home. But there was also a much larger town that served the local farming area. Lismore was about 30 kilometres away, and a trip there was a special outing, perhaps once a month, when we needed something not available in Woodburn, such as a trip to the doctor, or to order some machinery for the farm. I loved the visits to Lismore because, although the population was only about 20,000, it seemed enormous to me, with streets crowded with people busy visiting the many shops. A special treat for me and my sisters when we were in early primary school was a visit to the Mecca Cafe, to which I was drawn back when I was in Australia last year.

In 1937 - when my parents were
children taken by their parents

Although I go back to see my family and friends every year at Songkran, those annual visits are short and the days are filled with meals at family homes, or eating out with family and friends. I usually leave it to my brothers and sisters to plan what we do when I'm there, as long as we get a chance to catch up over some good food. But before I went back last year, I had seen an article in the local newspaper about the history of the Mecca Cafe. I shouldn't have been, but it surprised me to learn that the cafe had been there for more than 85 years, since 1932. That was back when my own parents were still not ten years old. I guess that when they took us there, they were repeating a ritual that their own parents, my grandparents, had begun back when most people still used horses to get around, and when a trip into town really was special for the local farmers, and a chance to catch up with friends not often met, just like a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca is a special trip for Muslims. I had never thought of it before, but that was the reason why a cafe in an Australian country town had been named after a city sacred to Islam. And of course, a special trip into the big city was also a time to enjoy a special treat, such as the milkshakes, the pies, and the wonderful cakes that the Mecca Cafe sold. Having been reminded of it, I put a visit to the old Mecca Cafe on my list of things to do.

A mecca at the heart of Lismore
Click here for Google Map
My brother's home is at the bottom.

There was no need to figure out how to get there. I knew exactly where the cafe was, or at least what street it was on. So one morning, after my sister Frances picked up me up at my brothers home on his nearby farm, we drove into Lismore to do some grocery shopping. This was another bit of nostalgia that I always enjoy. My mother, brothers and sisters still go to the same supermarkets that we used to go to when I was in high school in Lismore, but the supermarkets came later than my primary school days. I probably hadn't thought of or been to the Mecca Cafe for more than 40 years, not since I finished high school and left for university in Sydney. Downtown Lismore has changed a lot in the last half century. It's no longer mainly a country town serving a farming community, but is now the centre of a busy tourist area with a university and colleges that serve a much wider area. The streets are full of cafes and restaurants serving a wide range of modern, cosmopolitan foods, so most of the old shops I remember are no longer there. Before we could go to the Mecca, we had to call in for coffee at Henry's, a new cafe in a building that used to be something I don't remember: Menswear? A toy store? A stationery shop? Memory fails me. One of my nieces works there, and we popped in to say, "Hi," to her over an espresso and fruit tart. We didn't really need anything at the Mecca, but Frances understood my desire to to revisit, so we walked down the street a bit more and there it was, one of the few shops that is still what it was almost a century ago. It had been redecorated, I guess a couple of times, but the sign still said "Mecca Cafe," and although they were different to the Chelsea buns, cream horns, bears paws and other delicious cakes we used to love as children, the glass displays were still full of inviting sweets, savoury pies, and the promise of full steak and veggie meals.

I haven't had a desire for a milkshake for many years, so didn't check whether they were still available, although I'm sure they are. It looks more open and better lit than I remembered, but it was still full of rich smells and cheerful chatter. I was happy to be back in a place that brought back so many happy memories of my childhood. However, we didn't sit down then for a plain, traditional Aussie style lunch; that's something I might do when I go back next month: a steak and kidney pie, with mashed potato, mushy peas, carrots, and lots of gravy, but perhaps a large black coffee instead of  a sweet milkshake. And do they now offer the kangaroo steaks that have become popular in the last decade? Maybe my mum would like to join me for lunch there and to reminisce about her visits 80 and more years ago.