The theme photo for this week's Sepia Saturday is a shopfront and I found a photo to match the theme in our family's album.
A small country town in the early part of the 20th century needed a good general store because the nearest big town was Bendigo and getting there and back took all day. Not exactly convenient, especially in the days when horse-drawn vehicles were more common than cars. In Mitiamo the store was run by Charles W Sims and then his son-in-law Roy Phelan. As well as food and haberdashery they provided everything from petrol to insurance and delivered around the local farms every fortnight. There was a train station in Mitiamo so they were able to bring their goods to town on the rail system. It was a very busy place.
During WW2 the shop and the adjoining residence burnt down but I'll save that story for another day.
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| Outside Sims store, Mitiamo |
Charles William SIMS,
son of Samuel SIMS and Elizabeth CARTER was born on 21 May 1869 (Coliban,
Victoria, Australia). He died on 20 Apr 1942 in Mitiamo, Victoria, Australia.
He married Euphemia YEAMAN, daughter of Charles YEAMAN and Sarah PAYNTER
on 16 Jun 1892 in Pine Grove, Victoria, Australia. She was born on 12
Aug 1866 in Cobaw, Victoria, Australia. She died on 01 Sep 1941 in Mitiamo,
Victoria, Australia.
