Joe Collettas` Ice Cream van

The forum was asked a question by Philip Nyman "Does anyone remember Joe's Ice Cream van which was parked every lunchtime outside the school's single gate entrance in Creighton Road? With his pencil moustache and Brylcreemed hair, Joe and his van were an Island of sanity in a sea of flying bats. At least to a first former (and 2nd formers?) who wasn't allowed out of school at lunchtime. He served a mean hotdog."

It seems everyone remembers Joe. Here is a small section of comments that have been submitted.

Joe's Van. I can still smell the aroma as you stuck your head in the window. I used to love his hot dogs and oyster ice creams. I bet Joe Colletta is selling ice creams in the sky now! Hope you are well -
Peter Ingram

I remember him in 1961 and he seemed to have been there until I left in 1968. I think you might describe him as a spiv. He introduced me to oyster ice creams and strawberry and apple pies as well as Players..... Happy days no health warnings.
Mike Burghart !960 - 1968 Howard House

Joe was there throughout my school days from 1959 to 1965 - I used to buy a Bounty or Mars bar in the winter and an ice cream cone in the summer. He was quite fat with a cigarette permanently in his mouth, I remember his funny thin moustache and his almost bald head of black greasy hair.
Brian Zietman

I remember him well, do you also remember the chewing gum with the metal flags as a free gift he sold. You would collect the whole set apart from one or two that appeared not to exist. This would encourage you to keep on buying in the hope you might get one.
Bill Jarvis

I too remember the ice cream van very well. To the best of my memory it was there for the whole of my time at TGS (1960-67).
If, indeed, it was a Colletta's van, I am pretty sure they were an Italian family with its own shop in Tottenham. In fact, my brother-in-law's mum worked for them, and I am trying to find out more details.
My favourite lunch-time snack was a sixpenny Cadbury's bar and a frozen Jubbly! Those were the days!!
Allan Bennett

I also remember Collettas. I was born in 1931 and am tol that my Mom bought an ice cream from them when he came around everyday in a brightly colored horsedrawn cart. Whem I was having my daughter in the early 50s i too bought ice cream from the same horsedrawn cart.
Pupil of Tottenham Girls School.

Joes speciality was Ice cream with several chocolate type dips/"hundreds and thousands" with the sticky strawberry or chocolate topping that somehow never ran down your hand like todays versions.
He must have made a packet out of the school but I do remember each year he donated 2-3 rugby balls to the school to replace the leather 'melons' we played with. (In September 1963 it appears that Joe presented the school with a cricket bat for some reason)
John Fowl

I remember several of us benefitting from free ice creams from the van when one of our classmates found a stash of five shilling pieces (sic) under his floorboards at home. The Ice cream man was very happy to take them as payment, and presumably sold them on for a fortune. I have not heard of five shilling pieces before or since.
Gordon Peck.