Iconic Surfers Paradise Meter Maids celebrate 50 years of walking the tourist strip’s footpaths

They are the Glitter Strip’s gold ­bikini-clad guardian angels and Meter Maids have now celebrated 50 years of helping visitors to the Gold Coast. READ THE TALE

Gold Coast Meter Maids Ann Stengel and Kathy Ford with radio identity Billy J Smith during a promotional photo to giveaway a car in 1970 through the Gold Coast Sun. Picture: Gold Coast Meter Maids

IT’S a golden jubilee for the Glitter Strip’s famed gold ­bikini-clad guardian angels.

The iconic Surfers Paradise Meter Maids late in 2020 celebrated 50 years of walking the tourist strip’s footpaths to prevent motorists being fined.

RELATED: THE HISTORY THAT SHAPED THE METER MAIDS

GALLERY: METER MAIDS NOW AND THEN

The tiaras, suits and capes worn by early generation Meter Maids are long gone but the local institution is a daily sight through central Surfers Paradise.

Gold Coast Meter Maids Ann Stengel and Kathy Ford with radio identity Billy J Smith during a promotional photo to giveaway a car in 1970 through the Gold Coast Sun. Picture: Gold Coast Meter Maids

General manager Michael Yarwood said the bikini and cowboy hat-wearing women reflected the cheeky and pioneering spirit of Gold Coast identities such as Keith Williams, Sir Bruce Small and service founder Bernie Elsie.

“They are among the most recognisable icons of the Gold Coast triggering fond memories of Australia’s holiday playground for visitors,” he said.

METER MAIDS OVER THE YEARS

“They have outlasted most of the buildings which were built the same year the service started, and as long as the public wants them, the Meter Maids will survive and prosper.

“I reckon they will be here in another 50 years and it will take someone as passionate as longtime owner Roberta Aitchison to make it happen.”

The Meter Maids were founded in 1965 by entrepreneur Bernie Elsie after the Gold Coast City Council introduced parking meters to central Surfers Paradise.

The service has been used to promote the Gold Coast across Australia and the world in the years, including a famous trip to Melbourne with Mayor Sir Bruce Small in 1967.

It has even survived the removal of traditional coin-operated parking meters and the introduction of hi-tech digital machines.