Thomas Hughes Thomas was born in Wales and came to Ipswich with his parents as a young boy. He apprenticed as a pastrycook to Mr F Whitehouse of Whitehouse Café in Nicholas Street after leaving school but then changed his career path to hairdressing. Thomas went to work at well-known Ipswich hairdresser, Professor Fred Jenyns’ saloon, learning the trade.
Thomas married Mary Ann Cullinane on 12 August, 1885. They lived in Roderick Street, Ipswich and went on to have four sons and three daughters.
The “Marble Bar” Hairdressing Saloon, located on the corner of Brisbane and Nicholas
Streets. This interesting shop has exterior electric lights. (courtesy Margaret Bodetti) (Image courtesy of Ipswich and the 20th Century by Robyn Buchanan)
In 1888 Thomas established his own hairdressing business on the corner of Nicholas and Brisbane Street, and opened the first American styled marble bar in Ipswich for the sale of Iced soft drinks and cordials, combining the two businesses. Mr T H Thomas’s Premier Hairdressing and Shaving Saloon, was comprised of two sections; that of the lolly and refreshment department and that of the Tobacconists and Hairdressing department. For sale at the Tobacconist were items such as cigars, cigarette holders, walking-sticks, shaving sticks and razors. Decorating the refreshment station were two attractive bubbling fountains supported by stout marble counters. Fresh iced drinks, ice cream and lollies were available. Drink flavourings included cherry phosphate, lemon, strawberry, vanilla, sarsaparilla, pine-apple, ginger, lime juice, raspberry, orange champagne, Kola champagne, vanilla cream, lemon-vanilla, root beer, soda plain and milk-soda. Thomas opened a branch of his marble bar business in Queen Street, Brisbane and named it the New York Marble Bar and Ice Cream Parlor.
Interior of the New York Marble Bar and Ice Cream Parlor, Brisbane, ca. 1912 (Image courtesy of State Library of Queensland)
In the late 1800’s, Thomas took advantage of the skating craze and opened Ipswich’s first skating rink in the Town Hall, also renting out Rollo’s Assembly room for skating on the North side. Skating would begin for the day at 10 o’clock in the morning and in the evening a brass band would play with dancing following.
Thomas purchased the Lyric Theatre in Brisbane Street, Ipswich in September of 1918. Seeing a need for a picture theatre in the North Ipswich area, he opened his second theatre, the Rialto on Saturday 22 November, 1919. It was located in Downs Street, near Fitzgibbon Street at North Ipswich. Thomas and his family moved to South Brisbane in 1919. Thomas retired from the hairdressing business in 1924 and worked as a confectioner and a picture show assistant in his later years. Thomas passed away on 14 October, 1935.
Rialto Theatre, Downs Street, North Ipswich, 1938 (Image courtesy of Picture Ipswich)
‘Summer Drinks’ The Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, 7 Nov, 1896; ‘T H Thomas’ The Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, 18 Dec, 1897; ‘T H Thomas’ The Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, 22 Dec, 1898; ‘Marble Bar of the American Crystal Fountain’ The Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, 4 April, 1899; ‘Amusements’ The Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, 23 April, 1889; ‘E Bostock and Sons. Property Sales’, The Queensland Times, 28 Sept, 1918; ‘Rialto Pictures’, The Queensland Times, 22 November, 1919; Obituary. Mr T H Thomas’, The Queensland Times, 18 Oct, 1935; Australian Electoral Rolls 1903 – 1980;