Gabrielle Duykers, Naracoorte Community News
Eight years after first banding together to save the town pub, 12 Apsley farming families will be handing over The Border Inn Hotel to new energetic owners next month.
The hotel, built in 1850, served as a social hub for residents in western Victoria and south east SA for more than 170 years before shutting its doors indefinitely in 2011.
The pub joined a growing list of empty buildings in Apsley, with the local petrol station, general store, and takeaway shop having all closed in years prior.
Locals were without a central meeting place and started noticing a decline in the number of visitors to the township.
Serious concern was growing over the future of Apsley, and when student numbers at the local primary school dwindled below 10, it was clear something must be done.
In 2014, a syndicate of 23 local farmers from 12 families banded together to buy and run The Border Inn Hotel in the hope of reviving the town.
Chair of the hotel managing board, Laurie Close, said the stakeholders had been inspired by other small rural communities that had “taken control of their own destiny” and been proactive in preserving their town.
“Nobody was going to come and save us,” Mr Close said.
“If we want to be saved as a community we knew we’d have to do it ourselves.
“We drew a line in the sand and decided that we should attempt to do something about it all.”
Mr Close highlighted the “multifunctional” role of a pub in small regional communities like Apsley.
“It provides more than food and beverage,” he said. “The community needed a focal point and a social hub – that’s what the pub is.”
With the hotel having been closed for more than two years, the 12 families essentially started a new business. It took more than seven months of infrastructure upgrades and renovations before the establishment could be approved for reopening to the public.
However, their hard work was warmly welcomed by locals, with Mr Close describing the opening night as “extraordinary”.
“There was an outpouring of celebration and joy from a really wide area that was just pleased the pub was going again,” he said.
The resurrection of the historic building provided a venue for sports club meetings and other community groups that had lacked a central gathering space the past few years.
One corner of the hotel was also transformed into a general store, selling essential items such as milk, bread, and cereal.
Soon after the pub reopened, Mr Close said a shift began taking place throughout the town.
“When the families made the commitment to the pub, it gave the community the sort of encouragement to commit to the school and other things as well,” Mr Close said.
Local parents appeared to redirect their attention to Apsley Primary School rather than bussing their children off to others in nearby townships. The school now has more than 30 students enrolled.
The population in Apsley increased, jumping from about 200 people in 2013 to almost 300 residents today.
Mr Close said interest in local real estate also rose shortly after reestablishing the hotel, due to its social pull.
“People started coming to live in the town because the pub was there,” he said.
“People had a connection point.
“You used to drive through the town and there wasn’t a car in the street, and once the pub opened, that all changed.”
While a correlation between the revival of the hotel and Apsley’s broader growth is difficult to prove, Mr Close said a positive change in “attitude” was evident.
“It’s not all because of the pub, but there’s been a conscious effort for the community to revive and survive,” he said.
“I believe the pub has been a big impetus for that.”
Robert and Dianne Carberry are two of the hotel’s stakeholders and both played an active role in running the establishment.
Mr Carberry said the pair felt compelled to help revitalise the town amid concerns Apsley was coming dangerously close to suffering the “same fate as Hynam”.
“We were all fearful that the town was dying,” he said.
“After the pub reopened…it was a rebirth of the town.”
When Covid-19 descended upon the country in 2020, the cross-border community was hit particularly hard.
Heavily reliant on support from Naracoorte and more than 30 per cent of its patrons coming from SA, border closures meant it was impossible for the hotel to “trade in the black”.
Lockdowns saw the manager position become redundant and other staff let go.
In April of 2020, the hotel was able to reopen to limited numbers and takeaway food, which quickly became in high demand.
Jobkeeper had allowed for one chef to remain on the payroll, but the hotel was still without front of house staff.
Despite both being in their early 70s, the Carberrys stepped in and delivered meals to locals throughout the pandemic.
Mr Carberry said the community response was “unbelievable”.
“After losing business across the border the locals really dug in and supported us enormously,” he said.
Mr Carberry still works behind the bar on Friday evenings and said he would remember his first and only experience in hospitality fondly.
“I love mixing and joining in with people and meeting the people that come through,” he said.
“I almost regret that I didn’t do something like this 30 years ago.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.”
With the hotel now a financially viable business and the majority of stakeholders nearing their late 70s, the pub was put on the market.
The 12 families were hoping for a young and energetic couple to take on the hotel, and soon found a perfect fit.
Food and wine lovers Shane and Catherine Burke drove over from Melbourne to check out the hotel after hearing about the hunt for new owners on ABC Radio. Enchanted by the story surrounding the pub, the pair finalised their purchase less than two weeks later.
In a statement made via Facebook, the families said they were excited to welcome the “dynamic couple” and wished them well in their new venture.
“Thank you to everyone who supported our somewhat challenging, but always rewarding, adventures as publicans,” they said.
“We’ll see you on the other side of the bar for a few (drinks) very soon.”
The 23 stakeholders include Laurie and Sue Close, Simon and Georgina Robinson,
Barry and Maureen Reader, Andrew and Helen Grummett, David and Penny Hawker, David and Sally Scott, Tom and Suzie Porter, John and Gail Hateley, Noel and Liz Ogilvie, Legh and Kym McGinty, Robert and Dianne Carberry, and Mike Ryan.
Make sure to grab a copy of next week’s edition of The News for the story on new Border Inn Hotel owners, Shane and Catherine Burke, as they prepare to take the reins in July.
This article appeared in the Naracoorte Community News.