A Tribute to Bert

As you walk into Melbourne’s oldest Market, you can sense that this is a place that is proud of its history and borne of its community. Over 140 years of memories are stored under the corrugated iron roofs. Ordinary people have shaped this Market with extraordinary commitment. Bert Glenister is an example of the pulse that drives the Market. Bert was no longer a young man when he first arrived at the Market but he embraced it and it embraced him. As Bert recovers from a trip to hospital and decides whether to hang up his boots, we pay tribute to this generous and lovable character.

Bert was born in Sydney, but his family moved to Victoria when he was just a wee baby. Soon after the war, the family of six which included Bert and his three sisters moved ‘up country’ to Hurstbridge where he enjoyed life on the family farm for many years whilst still making the regular trip to Melbourne boarding weekly for school.

Following school, Bert tended a herd of a 5,000 angoras on the family farm. The goats were sold to the children’s hospital for baby’s milk which, at the time, was commonly used as a substitute for infant formula. The goats were not only useful for their milk; their tenacity for devouring pestilent blackberries made Bert a hit with the neighbours. Bert gave up farming in 1980, but stayed in the country doing various jobs, including working for the Country Fire Authority. Then in 1984, Bert’s father, an English Navy man, passed away. It was at this point that Bert decided to move to Port Melbourne to stay with his sister Kathleen.

On previous trips to Melbourne, the Market was a favourite haunt but once he made Melbourne his home, Bert became a regular face about the aisles. It wasn’t long before Bert made friends with a soldier by the name of Peter Varley who had a collectors’ stall, and it was Peter who offered Bert his first official foray into Market life when he gave him a job sorting items and selling bags. But it was his next job as Market security guard that Bert remembers with the most affection. Patrolling the market after hours with his dogs Max & Rusty, it was a regular occurrence that he bailed up intruders in various states of sobriety before calling the local constabulary!

After 19 years in the job, Bert gave up his guard duties in 2003 to set up a stall selling pre-loved books and records, fondly known as Bert’s Books. Characteristic of his generous nature, half the money he earned from this stall went to the Salvation Army. Originally located in Aisle C, he was moved around as the Market went through changes and renovations. He ended up in the spot he currently occupies in the redundant lift shaft. Appropriately enough for some, he remains at the very heart of the Market.

Whether he was selling bags or catching intruders, delivering mail or selling books, Bert has been a part of the fabric of the Market for nearly thirty years. He is now taking some well deserved time out from the Market to attend to his health. He continues to be welcomed warmly by stallholders and locals alike when he drops by to say hi and join his friends for a cup of tea.

Thank you Bert for your warmth, generosity and your contribution to the life and history of South Melbourne Market.

Say Cheese!

Maria from Emerald Hill Deli is our trader of the month. Maria holds the key to a cheese lover’s heart – a huge cheese fridge, full of hundreds of specialty cheeses, both imported and local. Her range includes Australian cheddars, washed rinds, bries and the smelliest cheeses you could imagine. We suggest you pick up some roquefort and savour it with white grapes, walnuts or a stalk of celery. Accompanied with a light pinot, you’ll feel like you’re in France. We love Maria’s enthusiasm for all things cheesy. She has a wealth of knowledge and recipes to share. Visit her at Emerald Hill Deli in the Deli Aisle, stall 23.

Singing Butcher

Tony, the Singing Butcher, can be found at South Melbourne Meats. See him on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hTTyWrr_4A