Bitter-sweet is the final Victory
IN EVERY city, there is always a shop that, over generations, weaves its way into the fabric of the community. In Durban, in the Casbah, that shop is Victory Lounge.
Over the decades, Victory Lounge stood as a landmark in our diverse city, on the corner of Victoria and Grey Street (as it was known back in the day) and was the meeting spot for many.
From buying your newspapers on the corner to picking up a packet of sev, nuts and boondi, Victory Lounge never disappointed.
I have fond memories of frequenting the store as a boy, with my dad George.
My uncle, Sonny Morgan, ex-captain of Aces United FC, co-owned Five Aces Social & Snooker Club on the first floor above Victory Lounge. Hence as a family, we were always in and around the shop.
For a kid, walking into Victory Lounge was like walking into the fun fair.
Walking from the corner entrance at Grey and Victoria streets, on the left, was the tall glass counters full of fresh and crisp sev, nuts and boondi and on the right (Victoria Street side) was the cake counter. Remember the queen cakes and cheesecakes?
Across from the cake counter was the awesome multi-layered sweet counter where the late Mr Moodley stood at the cash register – a “giant” of a man, impeccably dressed.
Not one for talking, his presence was, however, felt throughout the shop.
Whenever I would run up to the counter, he asked me what I would like, as a gesture from his side. Such was the man… stern, business-like with a soft touch.
Further down was the “Milk Bar”. It was designed to give the impression that one was drinking a milkshake in the US.
It had a high cushioned, bar-type counter with four bar stools that faced another counter with specialised milkshake machines.
The milkshakes were mixed in front of you and poured into a cone-type cardboard cup placed in a metal milkshake cup-holder… sheer class.
Each counter was manned by a “specialist” who developed relationships with the hordes slipping in and out of the store to buy their “usual”.
Quite often, as soon as a person walked in, the assistant would start packing their “usual” without a word.
And today we marvel at predictive text.
The window displays were tastefully set out, showing the array of what was on offer, gulab jamun, gajar ka halwa, jalebi, laddus, nankhatai, peda, coconut burfi, mahim halwa, and more.
However, the Casbah has changed and the number of patrons has declined.
Custodians Billy Moodley and his wife, Kanagee, have endured years of hardship trying to continue offering the treats from back in the day.
They moved and downsized the store from the ground floor to the first floor to cut back on overheads.
However, the decision was taken recently to close a chapter in the history of the Casbah.
Sadly, Victory closed its doors on Saturday .
I was there to witness this sad day with Billy and Kanagee.
Little did I imagine that the boy who marvelled at the treats back in the late ‘60s and throughout the ‘70s would be the one to pack the very last sweatmeat box from the worldfamous Victory Lounge.
Thank you to the Moodley family for giving us delights over the decades.
Billy and Kanagee said they would consider moving and continuing to produce the magic they gave our families over the generations.