In the dawn of my next decade of restaurant activity it had just occurred to me that the year 1991 saw the entourage of Robin Trevor Gray’s team the leader of the state Liberal Party coming in for dinner at Liverpool street in the city one night . You might think why on earth would such a person of stature like the premier of state of Tasmania be seen patronising a dumpy little place like the Liverpool Teahouse café. Well to some extent I can understand that’s pretty normal because as politicians they usually do especially before an election or after they retire or lost their jobs. And came he did with a bodyguard or two standing outside. This time he did plenty have time to taste my food. Mind you though the world is a wonderful place. He was a senior lecturer in the Agriculture department at the same time as I studied Economics and Politics at Monash.That was well before he went into topsy-turvy world of politics and I thereon into the extra mile for an incessant wok wandering march over the next two decade...
Come to think of my recall the early 80’s at South Hobart's Teahouse had quite a few visitations of interests with social personalities ranging from the English Cricket team to the famous left-winger campaigner Victorian Dr Jim Cairn. For Jimmy it was a sort of return social visit. In order to do him some justice here I think I shall do an exclusive on him and his family when I come around. Only that way I can relate to you properly of my experience during my stay at his home in Hawthorn Victoria. The comedian Billy Connolly and his comedian team from United Kingdom did turn up as well since they were billeted close by down at the local Sandy Bay Wrest Point Casino. Then of course there was this tall elegant looking dark lady from US who was a blue jazz singer whom I unfortunately forgotten her name after so many years. They were all international Artists performing around venues and Casinos round the world. But when it comes to private moments outside their stage Performance they rather prefer something that is not the mainstream somewhere of a place that is quaint and exotic , and some thing that has to be completely different from their normal routinal limelight.
The Teahouse at Salamanca Place was in fact originally called The Office prior to 1991 named by an owner who was then an active member of the Liberal Party. It is therefore without surprise that in the earlier part of the period when we took over the premises in the late 1994 we were frequented by most of the cabinet ministers of State Liberal party during lunchtime led by a gentlemanly mild mannered Raymond Groom whose family happens to live nearby in Battery Point vicinity. I think this is therefore due not only to the proximity of the restaurant location from the docklands and the waterfront but also from the State Parliament of Tasmania where all the politicians were working. I began to know most of the elderly Liberal Cabinet members. I Knew the Hodgeman family and Eric Abetz –a Federal senator well.. not just at Salamanca Place but also later on down South in Blackman’s Bay and Kingborough area
However, Abetz has been a long time acquaintance during my university years at the Student Representative Council much more than the Honourable Hong Lim who is now an active Labour member for Clayton in Victoria. Anthony Rundle who later took on the job of Premier was indeed my personal fan followed by Rene Hidding. I think a lot of people would have easily misunderstood what they stood for perhaps because they were in politics for if you know the pair well enough personally they were nothing like a typical politician. For one I regarded him more as a marvellous teacher and the other a prime example of an industrious Dutch migrant who had successfully made into the top public and social ladder. Whilst talking about the Kingborough area let me just deviate from the topic at this juncture. James Bleasale the ex-chairman of CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organisation) brought Dick Smith a rather renown philantropist of Sydney in one night for a meal down at Blackman’s Bay and they thoroughly enjoyed their stay so they said. .. The tycoon Dick Smith obviously as you know is an environmentalist and apart from other things is deeply committed to the preservation of Antartica continent down further south..
Salamanca Teahouse also attract other relatively well-known VIPs for instance the Federal Minister of Communications from Malaysia Affendi Norwawi . He was on his way to receive his honorary PHD Doctorate Degree from University of Tasmania. He brought with him some dark glasses bodyguards too but more in numbers than Gray because perhaps labour is cheaper over at yonder and thus but also not to forget along came his young charming second wife as well for a rather long sumptous banquet . There was then the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race event, which also brought Lachlan Murdoch the son of Rupert Murdoch and their entourage from the vessel Sayonara to our premises in 2001. It was a rather nice looking blonde lady confidante that came preceding the party and concluded a deal with me a day or two prior to their arrival. I am sure she was from Sydney too and not a Hobartian .
We were so close to the docks that inevitably we were sharing some of the arrivals from the annual events The event that is suppose to be the highlights of all summer events in Hobart. It is all glitter and glitz for the next few summer weeks down at Salamanca what with all the sideshows, galleries, live performance and the Taste Festival showcasing local food and wine to coincide with the arrival of the first Yacht from the Great Southern Sydney Hobart Race. If you are a Hobartian yourself you will probably know what I am carrying on about.
