Remembering Neubeck's delicatessen from Lithgow's past.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Neubeck's delicatessen was situated at 146 Main Street, Lithgow. The Neubeck family, Alois J C "Lloyd" and his wife Annie and their family, lived in the residence above the store.
Lloyd and Annie's daughter, Joan (Mrs Deeley) recently shared her memories of the store:
"Features of the interior - on the left-hand side - counter full length, completely closed in to the ceiling with fly proof mesh - two small sliding mesh covered windows to serve food to customers. Annie Neubeck, Lloyd's wife, stood inside the front window most days making sandwiches for workers in the vicinity. The wall behind contained shelves with a variety of groceries," she said.
"On the right-hand side, a high counter, and a glass front section with a selection of sweets and lollies. Ice creams were served in a cone from large round containers in the deep freeze. Bottled drinks and milkshakes were also popular.
"On the back wall, beside the door that went through to the residence was a shelf with a large eagle that had been stuffed by a German in the late 1890s and presented to Lloyd's grandfather, Alois Neubeck, a blacksmith living at Blackman's Flat as a thank you for permission to collect specimens for a German museum."
Joan wrote that fresh rabbits were extremely popular - only nine pence each!
"The shop mostly stayed opened late to serve factory workers who finished work at 9 pm. In the wintertime, a big tray of 'Hot Cooked Rabbits' put inside the front window were a great success - they never lasted long enough to go cold!," she said.
Lloyd Neubeck was named after his grandfather, winemaker Alois Joseph Neubeck who, with his wife Clara, arrived in Sydney on board the ship Peru in 1855. Alois Neubeck and his growing family initially lived on James Walker's Wallerawang estate where Alois worked as a blacksmith, before moving to Blackman's Flat.
But that is a story for another day.