They were always there whenever staples such as bread, milk, eggs and, of course, hot chips, were needed.

As a child there were few greater thrills than to collect your pocket money, jump on your bike and head to the local milk bar.

Because inevitably there awaited a gobsmacking range of sugary treats guaranteed to turn your tongue the colour of the rainbow and your friends green with envy.

Somewhere along the line, however, the corner store lost some of its lustre.

Perhaps it was the proliferation of giant one-stop-shop supermarkets in almost every suburb offering prices on everyday items that could not possibly be matched.

Or maybe it was the rise of a dozen different multinational fast food chains that wiped out demand for an old-fashioned greasy takeaway lunch or dinner.

Whatever the reason, there have been mass closures across the country of these types of stores and those remaining are struggling to make ends meet.

So it is little wonder that hard-working owners such as Jianxin "John" Huang, of Eliades in California Gully, feel so cheated when they are targetted by thieves.

Except, on Saturday, it was not a drink from the fridge or money from the till that two allegedly drugged-up thieves were after.

It was a charity tin containing hundreds of dollars that John and his wife, Aoi “Ivy” Li Huang, could easily have watched walk out of their store without any financial consequences for them.

Instead, they put their lives on the line and confronted the thieves. For their trouble, they each copped a vicious beating – including being punched and kicked in the head while defenceless on the ground.

John and his wife are no strangers to petty theft. He describes the perpetrators as “the drug people” – ice addicts either chasing a few bucks to pay for their next hit, or seeking food after blowing all their money on the drug.

Being such easy targets for those in the grips of an ice addiction is yet another challenge milk bar owners must face.

One fears the ice epidemic could be the final nail in the coffin of what was once a cherished Australian tradition.

- Ross Tyson, deputy editor