From Sir William Angliss dropping by to collect the rent, to rugby-tackling thieves as they raced down the street, nonagenarian Max Cooper of M & N Cooper Jewellers tells Benjamin Millar he has enjoyed a colourful life at Footscray.
How did your family come to be in Footscray?
I’m Jewish. I was born in Germany in 1925. My parents were born in Poland and went to Germany in 1918, more or less on foot. My father was very happy … until one day, about 1930, some of his so-called mates said to him if we don’t greet you in the streets, don’t be offended, we’ve got to be careful of who we are fraternising with. My father … suddenly got a chill, and said to my mother we are leaving.
My father had a sister, who had come to Australia in 1928, and she said come to Australia, so my father came over the year before us to see what it was like, and we came to this place in 1938. We have been here ever since, and I now have 47 great grandchildren.
How accepting was the community then?
Straightaway in 1939 I started to go to Footscray Tech. I could hardly speak a word of English and the boys were all very friendly. I, myself, in Footscray have never felt anti-Semitism. It was full credit to the general citizenship of Footscray that anti-Semitism never existed.
How did you come to be a jeweller?
Unfortunately, my father passed away in 1947. This [shop] was a tobacconist. When he died, my mother continued with a helper. At that time I was already working as a lecturer in RMIT in engineering. A watchmaker came in off the street and said ‘put up a sign that you are taking watch repairs’, which we did, and we started to get quite busy with watch repairs. I took an interest in watches and associated things, like rings … so that’s how it became a jewellery shop and I became a jeweller.
How has Footscray changed in that time?
I do remember this street here being a very busy shopping centre on Friday nights, and that was pleasant. You don’t get that good feeling you did in those days, where you knew everyone around – they were good times. Footscray was a very friendly suburb; they were all hard workers in all the industrial areas around. This property here was [built by] Sir William Angliss … to populate the area more. My barber tells me he still remembers Sir William Angliss coming around to collect the rent himself.
Have you had any unusual things happen?
A fella broke the window and grabbed a bunch of rings. I chased and managed to rugby tackle him. People from the Footscray Mail came across and said ‘Mr Cooper, you tackled him, how did you manage to do that?’ I said I played rugby for Footscray Tech. They said when was that, and I said around 1935 to 1940. They said Mr Cooper that was 40 years ago. Needless to say I was black and blue for the rest of the month, but it didn’t matter.
What is the secret of your long life and career?
I haven’t been working at it, I assure you. When I go home I’m never grumpy, I never carry any bad feelings into the house. One of my favourite sayings is that by coming to work I kiss my wife twice a day, in the morning when I leave and at night when I come home. If I stayed at home, I probably wouldn’t kiss her at all.
Max Cooper will give a free Footscray Historical Society talk at Ercildoune, 2pm Sunday, February 21. Bookings: 9689 3820.
