Mr. Mac... MACS PIES

Ted McCann of Wollongong.

As kids living at a town called Bulli, on the NSW south coast, our neighbours, the McCanns decided to move to Warrawong/Port Kembla to start a pie shop. It was not long after that our family moved to the same area. My father was to work at the Port Kembla Steelworks.

In that time Ted had named his business Mac's Pies. (1954). It went on in leaps and bounds from there. He became the pie-maker of Wollongong.

Our families remained very close in those days. Things were tough.

At the end of the day and there were too many pies. The truck would pull up out the front of our home, and in would come Ted... arm loads of pies. We had pies coming out of our ears.

A mishap I do remember. I had money to buy a pie for lunch. (1 shilling) was the price. It was at the Berkeley High School, I purchased an apple pie.

On biting into it, icing sugar and all, it turned out to be a cold meat pie. He said that he could remember that a happening a couple of times.

On a trip to Wollongong, I decided to find him.

I searched for old Mac (about 2007). I found him... He had retired years earlier.

He was in a motorised wheelchair at the Westfield Shopping Centre at Warrawong.

I took this photo at the Wendy's Food Bar where he had his breakfast daily. He wanted me to give my regards to my mum who lives here in Mackay, Queensland.

As a Commercial artist, I explained what I had done during my career.

He came up with story of his father.

His dad was also a Commercial Artist in Sydney. I did not get his christian name. He was noted for his posters of the Sydney Ferries. The posters were plastered all over Sydney. I have not been able to find a copy of any of them, as yet.

We sat for hours talking.

He was an interesting man to talk with.

Sadly he died a year later.

I just hope that somebody managed to do a eulogy of his career.