The Keith's Kitchen mystery has been solved.
Charlestown's Isabella Harrison, whose parents Joe and Thora Wellings owned the hamburger shop, has set the record straight.
She conclusively answered the question of whether there were one or two Keith's Kitchen shops.
The Keith's Kitchen in Pacific Street was widely remembered. But many questioned whether there was a second Keith's Kitchen in Hunter Street.
Reader Pam recalled a vivid memory of Keith's Kitchen being in the Civic block of Hunter Street. She worked in an office with a window that looked across to the hamburger shop.
Cardiff's Howard Trevethan backed Pam's account, saying Keith's Kitchen operated in the mid-to-late 1950s "where the eastern corner of the new university building is today".
"Nock and Kirby built a store very near to it," Howard said.
Nonetheless, several people keenly disputed this, saying with confidence that there was no Keith's Kitchen in Hunter Street. But memory and timelines can play tricks and the truth can be elusive. After all, we're talking back in the 1950s.
"Let's clarify this," Isabella, 84, said.
"The truth of it is, yes, there was a second Keith's Kitchen in Hunter Street at Civic. It was between Wheeler Place and Auckland Street. We were next to Nock and Kirby."
The store opened at 11am and closed at 7pm. It was there for about a decade during the 1950s.
Isabella said Keith's Kitchen had been in Pacific Street at the top end of town since the 1930s.
When her parents retired in the 1970s, Isabella kept the shop going before it eventually closed in 1989.
She said the name Keith belonged to a man her mother worked for at Keith's Kitchen, before buying the business from him.
She and her two sons had been "truly impressed with the respect people have shown for our family", with so many people sharing happy memories in the Herald about Keith's Kitchen.
Isabella also answered a question asked by Hamilton's Jeff McTaggart, which triggered the interest in Keith's Kitchen. Jeff wanted to know whether Keith's Kitchen was at some point in Hunter Street, a few doors up from the corner of Pacific Street.
Ron Bastian, who Thora Wellings had worked for, owned a hamburger shop in that spot on Hunter Street. Isabella confirmed that wasn't a Keith's Kitchen shop.
Asked why the hamburgers at Keith's Kitchen were so good, Isabella said "we used to make our own sauce".
"We had our own recipe, nobody else got it and I'm not going to give it to anyone," she quipped.
"We had wonderful staff and we looked after people. When anyone came through the door, we were polite and well mannered. And we had some funny times."
Pegasus the Flying Horse
Dudley aviation expert Bill Hitchcock tells Topics that a horse running in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup is named Tiger Moth.
"Newcastle is the home of the Tiger Moth in Australia. We run the Great Tiger Moth Air Race periodically," Bill said.
Tiger Moth, an Irish horse, is an equal favourite with Sir Dragonet.
"Is this Tiger Moth going to sprout wings like the legendary flying horse Pegasus?" Bill quipped.
"Will it have a flying finish or be shot down in flames?"
