‘Always smiling’: Locals pay tribute to former Charlie’s restaurant owner Rita Wriggles
The woman behind one of Surfers Paradise’s most famed restaurants has been remembered as a Gold Coast institution.
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THE woman behind one of Surfers Paradise’s most famed restaurants has been remembered as a Gold Coast institution.
Former Charlie’s Restaurant Bar & Cafe owner Rita Wriggles passed away peacefully last Tuesday. She was 90.
A thanksgiving service to commemorate her life was held on the Coast this week.
Charlie’s was a staple of Gold Coast life in the 1970s and ’80s, catering for families during the day, and shift workers, taxi drivers and party animals at night.
Mrs Wriggles was a popular fixture at the business.
She took over ownership of the 24-hour restaurant from the early ’80s through to 1995, after her husband Brian, a former naval commander, died suddenly of a heart attack.
New to the Gold Coast with no business background and little involvement in the eatery before, Mrs Wriggles soon became entrenched in the day-to-day runnings of the hospitality industry.
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Alongside her for most of the journey was former business partner Graeme Downie.
“For her the restaurant was her husband’s legacy,” he told the Bulletin.
“She was there all the time. She went home to sleep, that was about it.
“She had a really strong interest in the business, it really mattered to her.
“She was meticulous … she wouldn’t hold back if she thought someone wasn’t doing things properly, but they were like a family.
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“We had some great times there. The best was Expo 88 when we had lots of international visitors staying on the Gold Coast. It was huge for us.”
In tributes on Facebook, people fondly recalled “staggering” to Charlie’s for a toasted sandwich after an evening on the town, and digging into a plate of prawn mornay fingers.
“I remember her very well back in the ’80s, always (had) a smile,” Michael Oakden recalled.
John Lesa worked at Charlie’s in the early 1980s and said he was saddened to hear of Mrs Wriggles’ passing.
“She was a staunch businesswoman … a woman who stood her ground and certainly made inroads with the 24-hour concept,” he said.
“I cherish my time there and have fond memories.”
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Long-time customer Vernia Bulivant said she would “religiously” devour cheese, bacon and pineapple toasted fingers while working nearby.
“Everybody went there, it was just the place to be,” Gold Coast stalwart Regina King recalled.
Former Mayor and councillor Lex Bell said he would often be found there in the evenings.
“I used to go there often when I was working late at night for a coffee at 10 or 11pm,” he said. “It was quite a regular gathering point.
“I didn’t know her well but she was a very nice lady.”
Mrs Wriggles is survived by her children David, Brenda and Graham.
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