4 DECEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 439 | FREE
WWW.GONAGAMBIE.COM.AU
MORE THAN 657,380 LOAVES OF BREAD, 218,400 JAM DOUGHNUTS IN 20 YEARS. Nagambie Bakery Changes Hands. Pictured left to right: Noel Harvey, Chris Anderson, Jacqui Anderson.
It’s a tradition for a lot of families, that’s what this place is all about, it’s where the locals come for their daily greeting and the conversations that take place. People come for the fresh bread, the meat pie is a savoury staple, and not much can beat a classic jam doughnut — except maybe the chocolate glazed éclair and custard tarts. After more than 20 years at the mixing bowl, the Nagambie Bakery’s Harvey/ Anderson partnership has come to an end with the business being sold. The Community Voice caught up with the Nagambie Bakery team both past and present. The Harvey family for more than six
decades has been closely involved and connected to the Nagambie Bakery. Valerie Harvey shares with us her family journey at the bakery.
Valerie Harvey’s Notes Keith Harvey purchased the Nagambie Bakery from Mr. & Mrs. Norm Wain in late 1956. Baking bread, buns, pies and cakes each day for the township and outlying areas. The ‘country bread’ was delivered each day by the country mail contractors. We sold the bakery to Anderson and Edwards in Euroa in 1968. They then sold it to Sunny Crust Bakeries. Keith worked for both firms delivering bread around Nagambie, until Sunny Crust closed the shop. Our children were growing up and our second son Noel decided he would like to be a baker. Keith’s ‘exclusion to bake’ period had expired so he started to plan to build the ‘new bakery’.
The ‘new bakery’ was opened on March 9th 1979 with Keith and Noel doing the production and I was in the shop until we could afford staff. Both daughters Julie and Anne helped me in the shop and at times the boys in the cooking area.
Noel also continued training apprentices and Chris Anderson was one. Noel offered Chris a chance of a partnership in 1999 and the rest is history.
Over the years we have had some wonderful staff and many still keep in touch today. We employed many girls and some boys over the weekends behind the counter and baking. It was great to see them grow in confidence in the years they were with us.
Chris Anderson at the age of 15 started working at the Nagambie Bakery on weekends for Noel Harvey and when he turned 16, Chris left school to begin his baking apprenticeship under the watchful eye of Noel.
As the business grew Keith trained many apprentices, some went on to have businesses of their own and do very well with them. That made us proud. After 10 years we sold the business to Noel and only helped when needed. Noel continued with the bakery and he added a kitchen and eating area inside and out to be used as a coffee shop. The range of goodies also became better and bigger.
In 1999, the Nagambie Bakery’s Noel Harvey, Chris and Jacqui Anderson joined forces to continue the tradition of the locally owned Nagambie Bakery. “That was the same year our eldest daughter Shania was born,” said Jacqui.
- Valerie Harvey
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