Many moons ago, we lived in Hornsby, Sydney’s upper North Shore axis. The place is the next nexus after Chatswood, ten train stops away. To paraphrase Up’s Elle, it’s like the CBD, but north. My experiences inspired me to write three stories: ‘Reming’, ‘Reming Dos’, plus ‘The Shamgod Delusion’ (25 pages). While there, I also penned ‘A Tale of Two Christmases’, which Misyon published. For decades, there has been a local Westfield (WF). The latter is split into two areas. At the mall’s centre, a picturesque fountain will grab your attention. The WF is sizeable and once had a two level Myer. Harvey Norman and TK Maxx are the latter’s replacements.

‘King of the (Upper) North’

I wasn’t much of a window shopper then. Sometimes, I hung out at Borders, the cinema, the foodcourt, and the newsagent. Borders has long gone under. The other three are still around. When I was free, I’d do a grocery top up. Regardless, I attended Mass weekly and played basketball regularly. I also frequented the lib, which has been redesigned. The repository is now ultra modern.

At the bibliotheca, I wrote said Misyon article. The lib was such a cozy place to read and learn. They had a huge selection of books, from youth fiction to Grisham, fantasy to sports reads. One of my first moves was getting a library card. In no time, I was bingeing on Grisham, Stephen King, and Matthew Reilly. At this point, I had yet to discover either Connelly or Picoult.

Meanwhile, the PCYC, where I used to ball, has been exported to nearby Waitara. I made a few friends while shooting hoops. This loosely inspired ‘Reming’. The subheading is a play on Game of Thrones. In the series, the phrase is often utilised to describe Rob Stark, the late Ned’s son.

A Mall with a View

While I still called Hornsby Shire home, the WF also had a Big W. This means that they housed the three major discount department stores. See also: Target and Kmart. The large space that Big W occupied has since been reallocated. Thankfully, both Target and Kmart care still around. I bought some trunks and winter socks from the latter.

Even back then, aside from Coles and Woolies, they already sported an ALDI. The Reject Shop is a stone’s throw from the latter. I thought the shower gel was cheap at Aldi. Turns out Reject was even cheaper. It definitely pays to shop around. Back when we were there, we did all our groceries from Woolies, if not Coles. There’s also decent Asian grocery fronting Aldi. Have I mentioned the Apple Store?

The food court had a Macca’s, KFC, and Oporto. When I tried their Bondi Meal, this was my first bite of the latter, a fast food chain with a Portuguese background. A kebab shop has been around for ages. I’m not too sure though if it’s the same one, but they occupy an identical area. There used to be a Hungry Jack’s but it folded. Instead, they have a Max Mex for all your Mexican cravings. Together with friends or going solo, I took in many films. I particularly enjoyed action blockbusters and family flicks.

‘Lost in Chilli Nation’

The area boasts a second cinema, Hornsby Odeon. This is located on the other side of the train station. Another Asian grocery, an op shop, a number of real estate agencies, and quite a few eateries are also on this part of town. This is also where the bus interchange is located.

Back then, I wasn’t into buying clothes. Books and writing drove me. So did food. I remember buying this chilli banh mi near the station. Their roasted chook breasts were freshly made. They filled it up with a generous vegetable serving. The spice level was the only problem. When I told them to put ‘a little bit’, they showered the whole bun with chilli. I had to remove most of the spice as I would be gassed.

‘The Last Bookworm’

There are a few bookstores. Aside from the gigantic Border’s, there’s a QBD store near the food court. As my birthday gift, Mum bought me a true crime book at said store. Speaking of QBD, I bought this memoir online from eBay. It cost me about sixteen bucks. Days later, we visited Hornsby. I saw the same Anh Do book for $12.99. Had I just waited a little, I would’ve saved a few more bucks. All these years, the shop has remained in the same spot.

In the basement, they also had an Angus and Robertson. A few years later, the chain became an online only store. Their expensive pricing didn’t help their cause. At the moment, close to the dining area, there’s a Berkelouw Books. They even put up stalls in the bridge between the two blocks. In general, their prices aren’t for the masses. Style points though for having a big selection of books.

‘A Clothes Stop’

There used to be a JustJeans store near the escalators. In 2017, I bought two items from them. First was this plain green chino short. I’ve had my eye for it online but it had gone out of stock. Thankfully, we visited WF Hornsby, where one pair in my size awaited. I used my WF gift card to pay for the short. Upon washing it, I donned it straight away. The second purchase was this striped green tee. It was an olive colour with contrast black stripes and a pocket. At ten bucks, snooze later.

While Myer has left the building, there are still quite a few clothing contenders jockeying for position. TK Maxx has the lead, with its affordable range and cool styles. They offer the big brands for small prices. Not to be outdone, David Jones holds regular sales. With Myer’s exodus, they now own the title of the mall’s premier department store. Cotton On has a big store near the entrance. There’s also a Uniqlo near Aldi. Platypus Shoes has long repurposed the former General Pants outlet.

‘Blade Runner 20220’

In terms of electronics, there’s a JB Hifi, a Bing Lee, the aforementioned Harvey, an offsite Officeworks, and a Crazy John’s. Like QBD, the JB store has remained in the same spot. Last year, I grabbed a USB stick from them. A long time ago, I bought a Sony charger and batteries for my Olympus digital camera. Incidentally, the latter was purchased from the old Dick Smith store. This has since closed down. I was new to this photography thing. Instead of rechargeable batteries, I should’ve opted for a lithium battery. The Officeworks is on George Street, a bit of a trek. In 2022, I bought an Apple device from them.

Inside Westfield, there’s a Commbank. It’s on the basement. I went there once to sort out some niggle. There’s a Westpac (WP) outside the mall. No more St George Bank though. Some time ago, Westpac had acquired the latter. I guess it becomes redundant then, with a WP nearby. There’s still an ANZ though. I used to be a customer.

Express Lane

In general, Hornsby is more accessible than other nearby burbs. There are two ways of getting to the city via train: the Northern line and the North Shore Line. Both offer limited stops services. If you’re in a hurry, every half hour, there are express trains to the CBD. It stops at Epping, then Strathfield, and Sydney terminal (Central). Chatswood is about twenty minutes away using all stops. There are likewise buses to other locales.

Hornsby is like your one stop shop for all your gastronomic, banking, entertainment, literary, electronics, and fashion needs. There’s not much there that you couldn’t find. Hornsby doesn’t just wear the crown of the Upper North. Thinking about it makes me feel nostalgic. To paraphrase Tarantino’s picture, it was ‘Once Upon a Time in Hornsby’.