Glenwood Ave in Coogee is a cul-de-sac off Dolphin St, one of the shortest streets from among those that were subdivided, developed, and named in 1937. It has over a dozen art-deco style, two-storey structures. Did you know that some of the most interesting people in Coogee’s history have called Glenwood Ave their home?
The area was part of the estate of George Catley, the son of Charles Catley, the pioneer who was regarded as the Father of Coogee. Charles, the community leader, has been credited for helping turn Coogee, a formerly isolated area, into a resort town. His market garden was quite profitable in the 1880s, allowing him to buy allotments that bordered Coogee Bay Road, Dolphin St, Brook St and Mount St.
The Barcs
Dr Emercy Barcs and his wife Vica settled into a unit on 5 Glenwood Ave at the start of World war II. They were immigrants from Hungary who shunned the fascism brewing in Europe.
The couple occupied 5 Glenwood Ave and tried to recreate a semblance of their life in Hungary. The doctor published an autobiography in the 1980s of his life in Glenwood Ave. Dr Barcs worked as a journalist for many organisations, including the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC).
Soon after the Barcs moved into Glenwood Ave, other Hungarians followed. Dr Barcs was opposed to turning their cul-de-sac into an area of minority groups living together but the street was eventually known as a Hungarian-Australian neighbourhood.
William John Stones
William John Stones was also a resident of 5 Glenwood Ave. He was the son of William and Bridget Stones, the family famous for establishing the Stones Milk Bar and nightclub along Dolphin St., which opened in 1922. Stones Milk Bar was a family place and hangout for people of all ages who enjoyed its milkshakes, ice cream, and fruit cocktails.
Famous people have sat at the booths of the milk bar, including Prince Philip, who was then a naval officer about to get married to then-Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth II.
Stones Milk Bar closed in 1967, years following the death of their patriarch. Its premises were later converted into the Coogee Comedy Theatre Restaurant.
William John used to cite his home address on Dolphin St in documents and papers until he moved to Glenwood Ave after serving the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during the war. He was educated at the Marist Brothers in Randwick, which later became the Marcellin College Randwick. William John also attended St. Partick’s Business College.
Before serving in the war, William John worked as a refrigerator factory mechanic in Pyrmont and was proud that he came from pure European descent. For his years in the RAAF, William John was a Fitter Armourer and was discharged as a sergeant.
Olga Hochstadt
Olga Hochstadt, formerly from Czechoslovakia, lived in one of the units on 10 Glenwood Ave. Their family became prominent when they opened their home to several Coogee Jewish community events, prior to the construction of the Coogee Synagogue in the late 1950s.
Noni Elizabeth Leveson
Noni Elizabeth Leveson was the daughter of Voltaire Molesworth, a famous journalist and politician. Noni lived in 1 Glenwood Ave with her husband, John Levenson. Their divorce in 1949 became a public spectacle, prior to the no-fault divorce reform legislation.
