Stan first worked as a car salesman in North Sydney but hated it. He then took up selling Vacuum Cleaners, door to door. Next, he became a Time Payment Collector for Van Der Built Portraits. The Carr family moved to Leichhardt, where Thomas Carr was the Caretaker for a Furniture Warehouse. With the inheritance, Dad opened a Fish and Chip Shop on Norton St. He bought the business for 10 pounds, built it up and in only a few months, sold it for 40 pounds.

Whilst at Leichhardt Dad spent time with a friend by the name of Mick Sweetman, who taught him how to string tennis racquets.

Horace Woreland owned a Racquet Manufacturing business in Chippendale. Reg and Dad registered the VAN DE BUILT Racquet Company and their label was placed on several requests sold exclusively by Trewins' with Dad's SECRET diagonal string design. I have the one and the only Van De Built Racquet in existence today. This racquet is to be treasured and cared for by ensuring members of the family who are fortunate to have it bestowed into their care in future years.

Around 1940, because there were no specialty Toy Shops around, Mum and Dad started selling toys in the shop, with Mum specialising in the new Shirley Temple Doll from Ideal Toys. She made pretty dresses for them. Together they built a large following of customers. During the late 1940's they began to stock pushbikes, Dad soon became an expert in repairing and servicing them. The Bike business boomed and they phased out the sporting gear and put in a full supply of push bike parts. Bikes and repair took over along with Mums Dolls and of course, the Toys which grew into a huge success in the '60s.

He rented premises opposite the new Commonwealth Building at 188 Maroubra Rd, for the sake of my brother David, who had worked in the business for several years and because the bulk of the stock from the old shop was in storage anyway, they both worked to build the business up into1983. It was then that Mum stumbled on the spiral stairs and broke a leg and damaged the other. After 6 weeks in hospital and a few weeks at home, it was obvious that she would never become fully capable of working in the shop again. On July 20th, 1983, just two days after a family gathering for her 76th birthday, she passed away after being transported to the Prince of Wales Hospital by Ambulance. A DVT had moved to her Lungs.

By Helen Louden (Daughter)

After Christmas 2004, which he spent in Brisbane with us at his granddaughters Rennae. During January he began to complain of muscle weakness and eventually, soreness. He was becoming concerned that the soreness was getting worse, but during all this time he never failed to rise every day, dress and go the dining room for all his meals. On Friday, March 18th I found him at 10.30am after he had been to breakfast feeling very tired and sick and not wanting to get off the bed. He complained of being very, very tired and fed up with living and ready to die. He faded quickly during the following week never returning to his wheel chair and within 2 days was incapable of caring for himself. By Thursday 24th he was refusing solid food and his decline was rapid, but he would rally around when his grandchildren would visit. Maurice and Marlene arrived by plane on Saturday night and he propped up and had a wonderful visit with them. The staff said he had a very stressful night so the next day Sunday Maurice, Marlene and I spent the day talking with him and trying to settle him.