Historical information
David Staig Jnr established this business in 1927 on the corner of Canterbury Road and Revers Street.
He lived at 355 Canterbury Road, one of a series of shops (with living accommodation) owned and built in c1885 by Thomas C Hyde. G Staig (farmer) was the first in the family to occupy this, followed by James Staig (carpenter), then David Staig Snr (blacksmith) and David Staig Jnr.
Bill Steiner was the chief mechanic at The Principal Garage; his apprentice Frank Senior eventually bought the business from David Staig and it became Senior's Garage.
In 2020 there is a Shell service station and a Coles Express on the site.
Significance
The Staig family were long-time residents of the area and this photo documents part of their business history. Dave Staig, who established this business, was an early aviator who designed and built his own plane.
Physical description
Black and white photo of a classic 1920's era garage build in brick and render and with 2 petrol bowsers on the curbside, either side of the central garage entrance. Advertising on the facade indicates Shell and Plume motor oils. There are 3 cars positioned in such a way that suggests this may have been a publicity photo. Advertising on the facade indicates that cars could be garaged at the facility and that the proprietor was D. Staig. It also indicates that the business was an agent for The Whippet car, the Willys-Knight car and the Overland car.
Subjects
References
- AEROPLANE BUILDING. SURREY HILLS MAN'S HOBBY. MACHINE NEARING COMPLETION. Newspaper article in the Argus, 10 February 1930. Includes a photo of David Staig and his plane.