As I made my way to Central Station this morning, I stopped and paused, and thought to myself, “I’d really like an Apricot Danish from the bakery on the corner”. For at least twenty years, I’ve been going to Bakers Bun at least three times a week, for their bread rolls, their sausage rolls, and their Apricot Danish.
I first bought their stuff when they started off at the Redfern/Surry Hills Mall. A few years later, as rents increased, and another chain store moved in, they moved across the road to Baptist Street, where they’ve been for maybe ten or fifteen years.
When they started out, their kids were still toddlers. Now they’re probably in their early to mid twenties. It’s been terrific to watch them grow up, and to be part of the Surry Hills community.
In fact, a few years ago, they were featured in a gay-themed movie set locally, called “Older n Last Time“, as I wrote at the time.
And the baker in the film, played by Kim Diep, is from my local bakery. He’s been serving me for fifteen years, including from the time he was just a child. Now he’s probably in his early 20s and I can remember him as a kid behind the counter of the family-run bakery. Now I’m feeling old.
And then this morning I felt really sad when I saw the sign on their shutter door, announcing they were closing immediately, due to a sudden family tragedy.
I asked the guy who runs the cafe next door what had happened. “A stroke, on Thursday night”, he told me. I felt so sad. They were such a lovely family. They would always greet you with a smile. In the midst of their family tragedy, I hope they’re doing ok, and I hope they know they were an important part of the lives of many people in Surry Hills / Redfern.
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