House.Land.Home.
Family memories of The Continental guest house
M
Y HUSBAND Arnold’s grandparents, Dave and Rose Saffer, built The Continental guest house in Hepburn Springs in 1927 and ran it until 1937. As it is on the market it seems like a good time to take a peek back into the family story.
Details of the Saffers' history are faint and hard to remember as the four surviving grandchildren range from 73 to 84. To Arnold, they were Pop and Bubbeh. The recollection of stories handed down a generation or two, together with their memories brings life to Dave and Rose's unique character. His father Meyer Saffer, always referred to as Mick, was their only son, born in 1912, and the youngest of their three children. Arnold says his dad told him that Pop was a candlestick maker by profession. While his cousin Judith remembers her mum Faye, born in 1907, showing her a document, stating his profession was a walking stick bender. On Mick's marriage certificate Pop is listed as a guest house owner. Clearly, Dave Saffer was a man of many talents. Family folklore has it that Dave and Rose emigrated from Minsk in the USSR, however it is unknown exactly when. Records show the couple passed through immigration on Ellis Island in New York. After arriving in Melbourne, Dave heard that land was cheap in Hepburn Springs. He took Rose and their three kids up to the Central Highlands, built The Continental and had all of them working in the family business. Judith describes her Pop as "an adventurer". "He built The Conti, residential homes and Beer-Sheba guest house and tea rooms down the hill from The Conti," Judith said. The guests were mostly from Melbourne's Jewish community. Traditionally they would head to the hills for summer vacations, and The Continental was a favourite destination. Judith recalls her mother Faye talking about working as a waitresses in The Conti's dining room alongside her sister Katie who was a year or two older. "Mum could carry six plates on each arm from the kitchen to the guest's tables," Judith said. "Pop would often appear in the kitchen towards the end of service on a busy weekend with a couple of mattresses under his arm. He would tell the girls he had rented their rooms to newly-arrived guests, and they would need to sleep in the kitchen that night." Paul Nathan, one of Katie's sons, describes Pop as "a quiet man whose English was OK, but he was not a big conversationalist". "He was about 5 feet 6 inches in height, typical solid Russian build and strong," Paul said. "He could lift two bags of cement, one on each shoulder and then climb the ladder to the roof." Paul said after both guest houses were up and running Pop continued to build homes in Hepburn Springs. "I witnessed the day when Pop said, in Russian-accented English, 've are going to dat block over dere to clear it,'" he said. His Pop didn't use tractors or machinery to remove the trees. "He would dig a hole and insert three sticks of dynamite at the bottom of each tree," Paul said. He would then join all the wicks, set for 20 seconds, together, light them and yell run! All the trees would lift out of the ground and then Pop used a belt-driven petrol saw to cut the trees into logs which became the frame of the house." Arnold adds that Bubbeh's job, together with Katie and Fay, was to look after the guest house's interior. Bubbeh ran the kosher kitchen and supervised housekeeping the guest rooms, dining room and the sitting areas. "The kitchen had a wood-burning stove, and Bubbeh would kill the chickens herself," Arnold said. Pop constructed a tennis court for guests' use only, behind the guest house building. Arnold said Pop, in his customary manner, used dynamite to level the hilly ground. He also welded wrought iron gates, embellished with a Star of David, for the driveway leading to a rotunda he built in the grounds to hold musical events. He remembers the story his dad Mick told, about Bubbeh and the tennis courts. "One day Bubbeh noticed a couple of young boys playing a game of tennis," Arnold said. "She runs out of the kitchen down to the court. Imagine a small rotund woman, resembling a babushka doll, chasing these two boys away. She is shaking her finger at them, shouting 'who gave you commission?'. I realised she meant permission and I still chuckle about it."
Words: Carol Saffer | Images: Contributed by Carol Saffer
Above, Rose and Dave Saffer dressed for an occasion, looking sartorially splendid Below: Rose and Dave Saffer in front of their home Rose Cottage built by Dave on Golden Springs Avenue - rumour has it he discovered the site of the Golden Springs Right, above, Continental House today Right, below, Katie Nathan (nee Saffer), second from left
Have a listen to Carol chatting with Arnold on The Local's Country Life podcast. Just scan the QR Code here.