1951 - present

Five-year-old Peter Berger fled his birthplace in Budapest by the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956. He fled with his grandmother, mother, father and brother, among approximately 20,000 Hungarian Jews who escaped to Canada, the United States, Australia and Israel.

Of those who came to Australia, an estimated 70 per cent settled in Sydney.

“We had nobody back home, everybody was here, so that was nice. I had cousins and aunties and uncles - that was beautiful,” he remembers. “I loved school. I loved just a different way of life.”  

Among his first impressions of Australia was the emphasis on sport. “I'm a sport lover and straight away we were playing cricket and soccer and athletics.  It was just a beautiful free country for a six-year-old - that's all you want.”  

Berger’s family started the famous Gelato Bar on Campbell Parade in 1958. The business started as a chocolate den, but evolved into a gelato bar when the chocolate lines did not take off. Gelato Bar became a big community hub.  

Later, Peter's mother's strudel became highly regarded - so much so that they hired a pastry chef from Hungary to develop a range of pastries. This business became an epicentre for the local soccer community and the Hakoah Club.

Crowds regularly met at the Gelato Bar to discuss matches. Peter remarks that “they'd come there before the match, have their lunch, and after the match they'd come back for some dessert, or dinner. They'd discuss every kick, every shot - it was a wonderful place to me. My parents worked very hard.”