MY FAVOURITE PLACE : Chris Holmes
Don ’ t know about “ where ’ s Wally ” but where ’ s Sid ? Chris and Sandra Holmes outside one of Richmond ’ s busiest businesses , their Sid ’ s Shoe Surgery in Park Mall . by Greg Martin
Over the past half dozen or so years in visiting Sid ’ s Shoe Surgery in Richmond ’ s Park Mall , I ’ ve always called the affable gentleman behind the counter , Sid . After all , IT IS called Sid ’ s Shoe Surgery ! “ Thanks Sid ,” I ’ d say in picking up a repaired shoe , replacement key or purchasing a piece of the amazing memorabilia on show .
It was only after chatting with “ Sid ” the other week that I discovered his real name is Chris Holmes and that over the 31 years he has operated the business , I wasn ’ t Robinson Crusoe in calling him “ Sid ”. Again , after all IT IS called Sid ’ s Shoe Surgery ! “ So , the previous owner of the business was
Sid ,” I posed . “ Nope , there was never a Sid involved in the business ,” Chris replied . “ The previous owner was Peter Canton who opened the shop in 1987 . “ I went to work with him in 1991 and he explained to me that he was a devoted fan of the late Sid Vicious , the crazy , mixed-up member of the British punk rock band , Sex Pistols .
“ It was always an interesting morning when I turned up for work as Chris would be sporting a new way-out-there haircut , al-la Sid Vicious ,” Chris laughed .
This story is about Chris Holmes ’ My Favourite Place , but I just had to get that Sid business off my chest !
Chris ’ favourite place is anywhere he and his family can go camping .
“ I ’ ve always been into camping since my maternal grandfather , John Carruthers , introduced it to me when I was a young kid ,” Chris explained .
“ Fortunately , my wife Sandra and our four children – Chris , Samantha , Racquel and Lucy - also love it too .
“ Down the years camping for us has progressed from swags to small tents , bigger tents , familysized tents , an off-road camper trailer and now we go off on holidays towing our new off-road caravan .
“ Our camping trips normally involve the whole family – Sandra and I , the kids , their partners and friends and grandfather John , who still loves camping at 87 years of age .
“ The camping trips are generally along the coastline of NSW although our journeys have taken us to Fraser Island and down the east coast of Tasmania .
“ We particularly favour heading down the NSW south coast – the beaches are lovely and the countryside is just magnificent .
“ To all of us , camping means peace and quiet and relaxation !”
But there ’ s never much peace and quiet in Sid ’ s Shoe Surgery - the place is busier than a BIG4 Caravan Park over the Easter or Christmas holidays ! Chris ’ skills across a number of tasks ensure there is always a steady parade of folk entering and leaving the shop as satisfied customers .
Besides being a cobbler extraordinaire , the master tradesman does it all ; locksmithing , key cutting and engraving , supplying new watch batteries and bands and offering a range of motor vehicle keys and remotes .
And as to memorabilia , Sid ’ s Shoe Surgery is a virtual Aladdin ’ s Cave .
I asked Chris had he always been a locksmithcobbler .
“ When I left Penrith High with my School Certificate in 1986 , I took a full-time job at a video
12 ISSUE 144 // MAY 2022 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT