28 November 2016

Ask RiotACT: Latham shops 20 years ago

2 December 2016 | By Secman

Hi Rioters.

I read on Wikipedia that the Latham shops started to wind down due to a fire that destroyed the supermarket. If anyone remembers clearly, can they kindly tell me what started the fire? Thank you.

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Spykler9:37 pm 03 Dec 16

From memory, there were 2 attempts at the fire that eventually destroyed the supermarket and , unfortunately, several other businesses near it. The first fire was caught in time, but the second was the leveller.
The shops were slowly decaying over a number of years. The chemist, and newsagent left first, then the petrol station closed.

JC1:55 pm 02 Dec 16

Serina Huang said :

I don’t think this was the only reason. The service station still continued for many years, with the party shop there as well. There was a hold-up at the service station, and someone was killed after being stabbed. The original service station owners still live in Latham I believe, although the shop has since been levelled and units built on it.

Think you will find the shop at the servo was a school wear shop called Braggs which if I recall was one of the niche shops that was doing ok before the fire.

Though racking my brain the newsagent had closed and the supermarket not doing well with the owner wanting to knock it all down and build apartments. Then along came the fire. . .

Out of intrest Macgregor shops also went through a similar decline of the takeaway shop, chemist and supermarket closing. The only shop that kept it going for as long as it did was butts and brew (which took over the supermarket) which could, like the school wear shop in Latham be described as niche.

Serina Huang1:41 pm 02 Dec 16

I don’t think this was the only reason. The service station still continued for many years, with the party shop there as well. There was a hold-up at the service station, and someone was killed after being stabbed. The original service station owners still live in Latham I believe, although the shop has since been levelled and units built on it.

JC1:32 pm 02 Dec 16

Latham shops were in decline well before the fire. The fire kind of helped matters along.

taphophile8:56 am 02 Dec 16

The Canberra Times of 12 January 1999 says the fire was arson on 28 December 1998.

I viewed the article using ANZ Newsstand database through Libraries ACT, logging in with my library card and PIN.

Ludlow, M. (1999, Jan 12). Latham residents seek help to get back their shopping centre. The Canberra Times Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.librarycatalogue.act.gov.au/docview/1012342404?accountid=34028