Moreland Past: Northern Bakeries is bought out by George Weston (Australia) and becomes Tip Top

In January 1950, George Weston (Australia) Pty Ltd. bought the Northern Bakeries business for £310,000. Its owner was now a 52 year old Canadian, Willard Garfield Weston.

Argus, 10 June 1950

The business grew and ads for various employment opportunities appeared regularly in the newspapers:

Argus, 23 Nov 1955

Argus, 29 October 1956

In 1958 Weston's launched its Tip Top brand throughout Australia.

Image courtesy Little Projects.

By the 1960s the company was known as Tip Top Bakeries and advertising had embraced the 60s look.

Miss Tip Top promotional campaign, 1969.

In the 1980s Tip Top introduced the jingle 'Good on ya mum, Tip Top's the one'. Even I, who watched very little commercial television in those days, knew the jingle. My guess is that every Australian did.

In 1993 bread production at the Edward Street site ceased and eventually the factory became derelict, home to squatters and a graffiti writer's delight.

Inside the Moderne building, 23 January 2018. (Thanks again to Sebastian who showed me around.)

Many of the old buildings were demolished in 2011 and construction work began. I only took a few photos and now I wish I'd taken more. Too late, of course.

30 August 2011.

5 September 2011. I

I think I was standing in Edward Street looking over towards Weston Street.

The Tip Top Apartment Complex has been around for a few years now. The developers had to overcome opposition from local residents and the fear that the history of the site would be completely lost has been answered by the retaining of original buildings, restoration of some of the internal features, architecture that is in sympathy with the site's former use and an array of interpretive boards.

These photos that I took in January this year give a picture of how the complex has settled into its environment.