If you’ve eaten a pie in Cowra, chances are Wayne Lynch was the man who mixed the ingredients.
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Four decades at Royce’s Bakery providing Cowra with delicious pies, cakes and sausage rolls, has come to an end for Wayne who began with the bakery as a 20-year-old back in 1976.
At that time, Wayne was baking a mammoth 90 to 100 dozen pies a day and up to 60 dozen sausage rolls.
On a busy winter’s day now, the bakery might go through 60 dozen pies, Wayne said.
“I was doing 90 to 100 dozen pies a day. We had Shep’s in Canowindra then and also Grenfell, just flat out.
“Eating habits changed with KFC and McDonald’s. We do about half what we did 20 years ago.”
Wayne’s typical working day began at 10pm and ended at 10am, with a slight relief in the warmer months when he was working about eight hours a day.
A fifth generation baker, Wayne was never troubled by the job’s unusual hours.
“I enjoyed working at night. I’ve done it all my life, I saw my father work at night. It’s just my lifestyle,” Wayne said before talking about his family’s history in baking.
“My great, great, great, great grandfather helped set up the Bakers Guild in Ireland.
“They’re [family] still baking over there. Sir Richard Harris the actor started an apprenticeship with our family’s bakery over there before he started out acting.”
Wayne, who avoids baking at home and prefers a barbecue, says the sense of community he felt from satisfying the hunger of Cowra for so long is the best part of the job.
If you attended school in Cowra or played junior sport during the past 40 years, chances are you’ve eaten one of Wayne’s mouth watering works – with Royce’s Bakery supplying pies to Cowra’s schools and most weekend sports.
“You never forget what you eat as kid, I remember my favourite pie,” Wayne said.
“In getting into schools we had to meet a standard because of the healthy eating programs, which I found good because we got our pies down to about four per cent fat.
“Instead of having one you could have two or three,” he laughed.
“Working there you get a sense of community because your involved with everything that’s happening in the town. Council come and get a cake for an event, all the birthday cakes, wedding cakes, anniversaries, graduation. You’re up on everything.
“I loved it, the people have been great. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he said.
During what may seem like a repetitive occupation, Wayne came across a number of interesting requests during his career.
From baking venison and rabbit pies to constructing cakes for hen’s nights that ‘shouldn’t be put on display, Wayne says he enjoyed every minute.
As he gets used to the non-baking lifestyle, Wayne’s looking forward to travelling Australia.
One thing that’s not on the agenda is rushing into a bakery for a pie and cake.
“I don’t really eat cake or desserts. If I had five pies a year I’d be going good, I’d rather go across the road and get a piece of fish just for a change,” he said.
“I want to do some travelling, I think the Great Ocean Road will be first before it gets too cool.”