IT is our sweetest icon which was once the Coast’s biggest employer. 

The Big Pineapple lived up to its larger than life image when it opened in 1971 and the memories loom large to this day.

Last month former staff looked back on the early days of Woombye’s Big Pineapple at a 50th anniversary reunion. 

“Back in the day every teenage kid in Woombye had a job at the Big Pineapple,” said former employee Pam Thomas. 

“At one stage I was doing a roster for 200 people.” 

Pam said her former colleague Patsy Flint was there from the first day the place opened. 

“People loved Patsy to death,” said Pam. 

“She’s 91 this year everyone knows and loves Patsy. She was here stitching the canopy on to the train the night before we opened, and she’s here today.” 

“We’d go and unload the pineapples out of the pineapple crates and bring them upstairs to the entrance and we’d have to stack them three times a day because people coming through the gates would buy them so fast,” said Joanne Kingston.

“I remember the parfait bar line up was six deep at the counter,” said Pam.  “Our record was 32 coaches in one day they all had lunch … they’d stream in to the restaurant and shop their way back to the bus.”

“The temperature hit 45 degrees one day and we had to keep working,” recalled Sharon Lymer.  

“It was so tropical. We had every type of hibiscus and they  were used to decorate the tables with the salads. It was just magic.”

Author Kerry Brown whose 2011 book ‘Our Sweetest Icon’ celebrates the Big Pineapple story, organised the function.

“From the day it opened in 1971, the Big Pineapple was such an amazing place and represents such a rich chapter of the nation and Queensland’s history. 

“It was such a magical place. Everyone wondered how trains and parfaits could go wrong. 

“When I did the book I remember a lot of people crying tears of happiness as the memories came flooding back.”