| History/Origin |
Lily Pak (maiden name - Lily Tuey Gook Ching) married Chin Loong Pak and had six children. Lily and her four children at the time were evacuated on the ship Zealandia in December 1941, before the Japanese bombed Darwin in February 1942. The ship arrived in Bowden, Queensland, and Lily and her children travelled to Townsville, in the hope of returning to Darwin once hostilities had ended. In 1947 the family returned to Darwin. During this time, Lily's husband Loong Pak, had just opened a shop in Cavenagh Street on the day that Darwin was bombed. Fortunately the building only needed minor repairs. 'Paks Store', as the shop was named, consisted of a milk bar, groceries, clothing and tailors. Regulations prohibited the sales of clothing and groceries in the evening. Lily and her husband made a partition on wheels and this allowed the milk bar to open at nights. The star theatre was located behind the shop fronting Smith Street. At the interval, people only had a short walk to 'Paks Store' for refreshments. Lily's husband built a ground level building on the adjoining block and opened a Chinese restaurant. Lily was the driving force in running the restaurant from the kitchen. On retirement, Lily moved to Burwood, Sydney, to be close to her daughters Valerie and Lynette and her family of three brothers and a sister. |