End of an era for beach kiosk

BY PAM WALKER
Concrete rot has ended a long family connection with Bondi beach for kiosk owner Neil McDonald.

For 80 years, three generations of McDonalds have provided visitors to the world-famous beach with such essentials as beach umbrellas, sun lounges, body boards, wet suits and other beach accessories.

Now the kiosk, located at the centre of the beach, has closed, but not just for the winter. Mr McDonald is worried he has no guarantee of being able to return when the summer season begins in early September.
‘This business has been in my family for generations and I rely on it for my income,’ he said. ‘I don’t know when, or if, I can return and in the meantime I’m paying more than $500 per month in storage fees for the equipment. It was suggested I sell everything and buy it again if I’m allowed back but that’s very impractical. It’s all working stock for an eminently functional little operation.
‘There is a very identifiable public health benefit in the service we provide and I would love to retain it. I’m too young to retire and I don’t want to look for a job at my age. There’s also a real sentimental value; my father worked there most of his life and my grandfather started it in 1933.’

In fact, his grandfather was Waverley Council’s chief beach inspector for 20 years from 1913 and there’s even a plaque in his honour on the Bondi promenade.

A spokesperson for Waverley Council confirmed the tunnels under the Queen Elizabeth Drive have concrete cancer and need to be repaired.
‘Neil McDonald and his family are a treasured part of Bondi’s rich history,’ she said. ‘He has moved his kiosk out of the tunnel as it is unsafe. We don’t know how long the works will take at this stage but expect to start the restoration works later this year. It is uncertain whether Mr McDonald will be able to go back and operate his kiosk from the tunnel as the Local Government Act requires us to give the opportunity to other operators to tender their interest.’

The spokesperson said the council was now preparing a design brief for work on the tunnels, expected to cost more than half a million dollars.

Meanwhile, Mr McDonald has been investigating the possibility of operating from demountable accommodation and a tent next to where his kiosk was located, as a stopgap measure until the restoration work is finished. The council has deemed the proposal an ‘unacceptable outcome’ but Mr McDonald is hopeful and is having a drawing prepared to present to council.