Southbank and Sennitt’s Ice Cream

President, Australian Art Deco & Modernism Society One of the enduring memories for older residents of Southbank was the milk bars that were located on many corners in the streets of Melbourne. Among the variety of signs (and often perched on the roof) was an enamelled metal sign advertising Sennitt’s Ice Cream, depicting a polar bear licking an ice cream cone and stating a simple catchphrase of “Bear in Mind”. Most of the milk bars have gone, as have the signs, which are highly collectable and generally only able to be found at specialist antique centres. Sennitt’s had a strong link to Southbank, as the ice cream factory was located on Riverside Avenue, near the famous Allen’s Sweets factory. John Paul Sennitt was born in England in 1851 and developed an engineering background, specialising in refrigeration. He arrived in Melbourne in 1888, via South Africa, and took a job as engineer to the Victorian Cold Accumulator Co. In 1899, Sennitt acquired the firm, in partnership with his oldest son, William. Ice-making could be a hazardous process, as the manufacture of ice generated fumes and deadly gases, with a high risk of fire and explosion. In 1904, as well as making ice, the company (now run by William), began making ice cream, with a range of products that included cones, ice cream bricks (quart and pint size) and ice cream Dixios (large).  In the early 1930s, the firm hit on the brilliant advertising idea of a polar bear trademark. In 1936, Sennitt commissioned a new factory opposite the river, in the area now occupied by Southgate. It was in the latest streamline style (finished in white cement with a brown tile base and green mortar joints and metal-framed windows, protected with sun blinds concealed beneath the projecting hood, and the company name in the latest stylised lettering), together with the most modern equipment. On the roof was a large neon sign of a polar bear (joining neighbouring signage on Allen’s and Aspro factories). The company utilised an increasingly motorised delivery fleet – a welcome relief after a series of accidents involving its horse-drawn fleet in the 1930s, as the company raced its main competitor, Peters, to deliver its products. During this era, many milk bars around the city were “tied” to a manufacturer, just as pubs were “tied” to a particular brewery. The ice cream part of the business survived until acquired by Unilever in 1961 and merged with Street’s. Soon after, the Sennitt brand and its polar bear disappeared, as did the factory in the massive changes that produced Southgate •