G. Bell/Dunk family

information and photos:

A History of G. Bell, Wyong

By Peter Hodges  

Sometime circa 1910 Ben Dunk and his brother-in-law, George Bell, moved to the Central Coast. Shortly after they decided to go into business as cordial makers, but as George Margin was already established in the Gosford, NSW area, they chose to base their business in Wyong, just north of Gosford.

The next step was to find suitable premises, so they purchased the old and spacious Beckenridge store and produce shed on the corner of Allison Road, Wyong. This building, made out of tallow wood, had originally been erected in 1886, and  had been abandoned for some years. One of its advantages was it had a large well on site, ready for the production of any of their drinks.

In 1910, plant fittings were acquired and a representative of Mauri Bros. and Thompson, of Sydney, was employed to help in the initial setting up and trading. But after only a few months  it was found that this Mauri Bros. employee had a distinct liking for the 'raw spirits' stored on the premises, so his services were quickly terminated.

Bell's name was adopted as the logo and quantities of bottles were purchased, including clean-skin, ceramic ginger beers, marbles and other bottles. They were bought from a Newcastle bottle yard at the cost of 4 d per dozen. Very quickly, ginger beer and lemonade became the most popular sellers, although creaming soda, cola, claret cup, orana (orange) sasperilla, hop beer and Bell's ale were also produced.

The ginger beer took one month to brew, with ginger and corn (Carraway seed?) as some of the ingredients. The well supplied the water, although if more was required a horse drawn wagon went to the railway well on the Tuggerah Straight, where up to 150 gallons was obtained in one go.

Around 1915, George Bell, who rumour has it liked a drink or two, quit the business and bought a hotel with his earnings in Victoria. Ben Dunk carried on. The wages in those days were 37/6 per 48 hours/week, and a staff of three was employed during the peak summer months. Three years later a new brick extension was added next door and a water tank - 30' x 15' x 6', holding some 35,000 gallons - was constructed under the floor, with run-off from all available roofs filling it. An accident in later years saw all of this water released, and H.C. Margin of Woy Woy manufactured Bell's drinks for about two months. 

Bell's drinks were distributed to a wide area - including Wyong, The Entrance, Yara, Morriset, Cooranbong, Ourimbah, Toukley, and even south to Brooklyn on the Hawkesbury River. The railway and horse and cart were used for transport in those early days, although in 1923 a Ford truck was purchased and used for the job. Other upgrades for the business included an improved source of power: an oil engine with an elaborate system of overhead pulleys was replaced in 1928 with electricity.

Ben Dunk's son was born in 1912, and as a boy of eight-years-old he remembers washing Bell bottles in the factory, and generally gaining experience to help his father. After the death of his father, he carried on the business until 1947, when he sold the business to H.C. Margin of Woy Woy. The freehold was sold and the factory machinery went north to a Mr. Buchan at Glouster, NSW.

The bottle types used in some 37 years of production were as follows:

*The blob top, 'stone' ginger beer was used until about 1920, with production peaking at about 14 dozen per hour. All these bottles were dumped down the original well, so a bonanza is awaiting some lucky finder.

*The crown seal ginger beer was used onwards from 1920, right up until business ceased. This means the tips from the 1930's and 1940's should not be disregarded by local collectors. Colin Margin, related to H.C. Margin of Woy Woy, remembers as a boy taking all the Bell crown seals and ginger beers to the Woy Woy tip and having great delight in smashing as many as possible.

*Marble bottles were used until about circa 1925, with the conventional crown seals taking over after that.