Max has been a Mosman local since he was 18 months old. It’s a place where Max can have fun, and take in the vast ocean views. He feels very lucky to call the suburb home.
Kostas left his village of Asprokklisia in Greece alone, and headed for Australia where he met his future wife, Elenie. When Kostas and Elenie bought their café in Bridgepoint, they decided to keep its name, and the couple has been the lifeblood of Café Jam ever since. Kostas values his customers highly and sees them as the most important part of the business.
Jimmy jumped ship at Circular Quay in 1969 when he arrived in Australia as a refugee. Soon after he took a job in a friend’s fruit shop, and for the next 30 years was the much-loved greengrocer of Avenue Road. Having recently sold his business, Jimmy is looking forward to retirement and spending more time with his greatest delight – his grandson.
It’s been almost two decades since prestige property agent Michael Coombs first decided Mosman was where he wanted to work. Honest and open relationships are the most important drivers for Michael. He has found that letting his guard down and allowing people to get to know him paves the way for others to do the same, and this has been transformative for his business relationships.
Sarita has been working at World of Health at Bridgepoint for 12 years. Sarita believes in mindful living with an open heart. World of Health is a place for people to come and share what’s going on in their lives. She also sees Bridgepoint as a place where she has come to know the local community. Her life pleasures are yoga, meditation, nature and the ocean.
Antigone and her family relocated from Paris to Mosman in 2013, having decided she needed a life change. Antigone says the reality of living in Sydney has surprised her. She didn’t expect surfing would become such a huge part of her life. Moving to Australia was Antigone’s dream, supported and enabled by her husband Alex. Now they can’t imagine life any other way.
Joseph grew up in the fruit shop next door to the family deli. Joseph studied accountancy, however his real love was the family business. His passion for his products, particularly those from Italy, is palpable. He believes food is very social, and it’s this connectedness that was at the core of his business and why he loved what he did.
Keith was a radiation biology specialist at the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor for 24 years. He was involved in the study of aberrations in human blood cells to determine the effects of ionising radiation, and also worked at St George Hospital. Keith and his wife Betty now live at Bupa Mosman.
Robert has been a Mosman and Balmoral regular for the last 52 years. One of Mosman’s most colourful identities, he was born in Northern Lebanon and reflects that Mosman has become much friendlier and more social over the years. Wearing colourful attire makes him and everyone he meets feel brighter, and he loves nothing more than setting up his chairs and esky down at Balmoral Beach, where he can chat and share his food with those passing by.
John and Jill arrived in Mosman in 1978. An endocrinologist and archaeologist, John has been able to develop his skills and combine his love of both disciplines by compartmentalising – being fully present to each in turn. According to John, the beauty of ancient civilizations is that they put you in your place. The remarkable innovations and diversity revealed can make us feel very small. John believes that if you forget your past, you stop learning.
When Thawro first came to Sydney as a sponsored refugee from Cambodia, he arrived as the last remaining member of his family. The rest had been murdered by the Khmer Rouge. He originally worked in a friend’s bakery in Campsie until he saved enough money to buy the bakery in Mosman where he has now been baking for over 30 years. Thawro bakes everything on site, and he loves watching the passing trade change as the day evolves.
Former landscaper Johnny joined the café business when a back injury forced him to find less physically taxing work. He started working with his cousin at Bar Cino before taking the opportunity to manage Rosso Cavallino when it opened 10 years ago. He subsequently bought the business. Rosso Cavallino is a neighbourhood favourite. Johnny has a number of tattoos that all relate to the most important people in his life – his family.
Linda and her family bought Blue Dolphin Seafoods in 2000, after the events of Tiananmen Square prompted them to leave Shanghai for Australia a decade earlier. Linda and her husband endured a time around 10 years ago when a new fish shop opened next door. It certainly tested their resolve however they remained focused and positive. Suffice to say only one of the fish shops is still here today – and it’s Blue Dolphin Seafoods!
It’s been almost two decades since prestige property agent Michael Coombs first decided Mosman was where he wanted to work. Honest and open relationships are the most important drivers for Michael. He has found that letting his guard down and allowing people to get to know him paves the way for others to do the same, and this has been transformative for his business relationships.
Simon and Paul met 23 years ago at a Lost in Space Club in Bankstown. Paul has lived in Mosman for 17 years and has seen great transport and infrastructure developments during that time. Simon has lived in Mosman all his life and cooking is his great passion. As soon as same sex marriage was legalised in 2017, they set about planning their wedding. It was a great day celebrated with 26 close family and friends.
Born in a small Greek town, Elenie came to Australia with her parents, sister and brother. She has now called Mosman home for more than 30 years, and along with her husband Kostas, has run their café, Café Jam, in Bridgepoint for a good portion of that time. The couple’s Spofforth Street home has become renowned throughout Mosman for its incredible Christmas light displays. Elenie has been crazy about Christmas ever since she was a little girl.
Peter’s Greek father jumped ship in Melbourne in 1961, part of many European ‘illegal’ immigrants of the time seeking opportunity in Australia. He eventually ended up in Perth where he met Peter’s mother, and where Peter was born. Peter ultimately settled in Sydney. As a passion project he established Kazzi Beach Greek, the natural evolution of his Greek immigrant history. Situated on beautiful Balmoral Beach, Peter describes Kazzi as a homage to his passion for food, community, and his Greek heritage.
Brad’s career in personal training began in 1993. Brad has witnessed significant change in the industry, with the need for a three year degree now replaced by a qualification in as little as three months. Once reserved for rock stars and celebrities, personal trainers are now accessible to everyone. The most challenging part of his job is dealing with people who think they can reach their goal without sticking to a plan. Despite this, Brad loves his work, especially its people-oriented nature.
Kim is firmly committed to creating awareness and responsibility around the critical protection of our water, she was instrumental in creating a grassroots movement in the Southern Highlands to address local concerns around water issues. Kim sees all people as guardians of the environment who cannot afford to take it for granted. Although she has witnessed many changes in Mosman, Kim feels the essence of community remains. She loves the local feel that Mosman offers and enjoys the sense of connectedness.
Mosman local Maria, is a trained architect who now runs the fabulous Aristotle’s Greek restaurant in Neutral Bay. A great lover of entertaining, Maria has combined this with her talent for design to create Sydney’s best Greek dining experience. Maria has managed to combine the rigours of running a restaurant with being a mum first and foremost. Describing her Greek heritage based on warmth and love as being ‘everything’ to her, her love of people and making them happy is critical to her success.
Mosman local Liz, has been meditating since the age of 20, when she was working at the CSIRO as a scientist. Four years later, she began an MBA and embarked upon a successful career in pharmacology, with a focus on neurology. Throughout this time, she held an ongoing interest in the power of mindfulness, and this led her to pursue mind body medicine at Harvard. Liz knows from experience how successful mindfulness can be, however she regularly faces biases held by many scholars.
One of the funniest moments of Michael’s career occurred when he was closing a home inspection. He saw what he believed was the owner’s cat outside the property and spent the next two hours chasing it around the neighbourhood to get it back inside. Before he knew it, he was at the centre of a huge catfight, which turned out to be completely unnecessary as the owner’s cat had been safely inside the house the whole time!
John was born in Mosman and attended both Mosman Infants and Mosman Primary School. One of the biggest changes John has seen is that Mosman used to be considered ‘remote’ rather than the highly sought-after area it is now. John was Mosman Citizen of the Year in 2014 and North Shore Grandparent of the Year in 2018.
Shane started in the butchery business at age 15, when he would skip school to be the clean-up boy at Narrabeen Butchery. Shane has worked at Spofforth Street Butchery for the past 15 years and bought the business five years ago. Although he has made a few small changes since taking ownership, his focus has been on continuing the tradition of providing top quality meat to his customers.
Sarita has been working at World of Health at Bridgepoint for 12 years. Sarita believes in mindful living with an open heart. World of Health is a place for people to come and share what’s going on in their lives. She also sees Bridgepoint as a place where she has come to know the local community. Her life pleasures are yoga, meditation, nature and the ocean.
Dog enthusiast Mike has lived in Mosman for the past 25 years. He has always had dogs and has met a wonderful community through dog walking and dog parks. Most of the time, people would say a quick hello and get on with their dog business, so a couple of years ago, he had the idea of creating a Christmas party for the dog walkers to actually get to know each other. Now everybody gets together at George’s Heights at Christmas time. They bring their families, so all the walkers and their families have come to know each other.
Sara has lived in Mosman all her life, apart from four years spent living in New York. Being close to the zoo, shops and public transport is important to Sara, and she enjoys catching the bus to work each day. Sara is a fan of the facilities provided by Mosman Council, and regularly attends evening groups which are held on the premises. Although people can be a little snappy when things get busy, Sara loves Mosman and thinks it’s a great place to live.
After starting his career working with his mum in Bella Vista, Jason ran the Bridgepoint Optometrist practice for eight years. Regarding every customer as unique and individual, he says there’s no such thing as a ‘one size fits all’ solution, and Jason took time to truly understand his customers’ needs and find permanent solutions to their vision issues. His customer base grew to include many families with younger children.
Betty was born and raised near the beach in Bronte. She met her husband Keith while waiting for a tram at Bronte. Although she thought he was nice, she initially felt he was a little too intellectual. Betty worked at a private girls’ school and loved it, as it was an environment where she felt valued and cared about. Betty now lives at Bupa Mosman with her husband Keith and enjoys walks along Balmoral Beach.
Michael was born in the house that he now lives in with his wife and daughter in Milner Street. His earliest memory of the house was sharing it with a navy officer and his wife. Big houses with tennis courts were common in Milner Street, and Michael recalls stories of murder mysteries, children coming and going, and the house that was owned by the Stacks Motor Car family, who would regularly bring home the latest and greatest Chevrolets.
After two years sailing the world with his father, Ben and his wife Anna, who is from England, decided to make Mosman their home. Ben started his plumbing business and now has a strong client base who are more than just clients, they’re like a community. As a busy one-man operator, Ben really values being able to give them his personal service. As a local tradesman, Ben gets to see the diversity that Mosman has to offer.
Suzanne and her husband, Michael have been married for 48 years and have lived in Mosman for 40 of those. Suzanne loves the village feel of where her family now lives. She recognises many familiar faces from all her years in Mosman, which makes her feel truly connected and at home.
Joseph grew up in the fruit shop next door to the family deli. Joseph studied accountancy, however his real love was the family business. His passion for his products, particularly those from Italy, is palpable. He believes food is very social, and it’s this connectedness that was at the core of his business and why he loved what he did.
Peter’s Greek father jumped ship in Melbourne in 1961, part of many European ‘illegal’ immigrants of the time seeking opportunity in Australia. He eventually ended up in Perth where he met Peter’s mother, and where Peter was born. Peter ultimately settled in Sydney. As a passion project he established Kazzi Beach Greek, the natural evolution of his Greek immigrant history. Situated on beautiful Balmoral Beach, Peter describes Kazzi as a homage to his passion for food, community, and his Greek heritage.
Sarita has been working at World of Health at Bridgepoint for 12 years. Sarita believes in mindful living with an open heart. World of Health is a place for people to come and share what’s going on in their lives. She also sees Bridgepoint as a place where she has come to know the local community. Her life pleasures are yoga, meditation, nature and the ocean.
One of the funniest moments of Michael’s career occurred when he was closing a home inspection. He saw what he believed was the owner’s cat outside the property and spent the next two hours chasing it around the neighbourhood to get it back inside. Before he knew it, he was at the centre of a huge catfight, which turned out to be completely unnecessary as the owner’s cat had been safely inside the house the whole time!