Snapshot in Time: Northgate Shopping Centre in its infancy and Fat Cat in his heyday

Doesn’t this image scream Geraldton in the 1980s?

Perhaps the only local photo that would be more reminiscent of the 1980s in Geraldton would have been taken at the local rollerdrome.

In this throwback in time, taken in about 1985, Northgate Shopping Centre would have only been a few years old and the place to be. Think of when Kmart opened in Geraldton last year, but only bigger. Geraldton didn’t have a shopping centre like this before Northgate opened its doors on October 25, 1982, which makes the shopping centre on Chapman Road 40 this year. It’s still the main shopping hub in the city, with Coles and Kmart and more than 30 other smaller stores.

It’s believed only a couple of stores can claim to be original Northgate tenants — Kevin Hackett Optometrist and Piaf Hair Design.

In this Snapshot image, not only does the fashion worn by adults and children alike highlight the era, but also the presence of Fat Cat, who was a popular drawcard in the 1980s.

The visit of Fat Cat — who was arguably in his heyday in the mid-1980s — would have been sure to draw in a big crowd of Geraldton children and parents to Northgate.

Fat Cat’s TV show ran from 1972 to 1991, but he is still known by the younger generation these days, maintaining a presence on Channel 7, including his goodnight message to children and being a mascot for the network’s annual Telethon.

Snapshots is an initiative of the Geraldton Regional Library. For more information, or to donate a historical photo or slide contact 9956 6659 or library@cgg.wa.gov.au