Build it and they will come

Extracted from the Farm Tender weekly Newsletter - Sign up and get the email every Wednesday morning before 5 am. www.farmtender.com.au

By Dwain Duxson

Pubs are on the menu, and Farmers or groups of community people are buying their "local" and are doing it all for the right reasons.

So the community is saving the Pub, and in turn, the Pub then saves the community.

The motto is, build it, and they will come.

As we all know, in small communities, the Pub can be the epicentre. It's where people gather to meet and actually sit down and chat in a relaxed atmosphere. Otherwise, as they say, it's only at weddings and funerals.

And the good news is that these Pubs are getting updated in more ways than one. Renovated, yes, but more importantly, they are transforming from male-dominated drinker's Pubs into family-friendly places where people can socialise, drink, get a good meal, coffee, entertainment, etc, all in a safe place.

From the research I did, the places where Farmer's or a Co-op formed from the local community have taken over pubs include Grong Grong (NSW), Sea Lake (Vic), Bolgart (WA), Apsley (Vic,) Woodside (Vic), Nandaly (Vic), Cavendish (Vic), Yangan (Qld) and Pallamallawa (NSW). I am sure there are heaps more and more to come in the future as the model seems to be working well.

Let's face it, a male-dominated drinking Pub in a small town is destined for the scrap heap in this day and age, and usually, the publican or the freeholder doesn't have the funds or the drive to renovate and turn it into a community place.

The Pallamallawa, or "Pally" Pub for short, was bought and taken over by a local Farmer Stuart and Lyndall Tighe (pictured above). These guys have completely renovated the place (apparently, the Ladies toilets are a must-see) and have turned it into a destination now where not only locals go, but people from larger centres like Moree and Goondiwindi.

All the Farmers in question are still Farming. This is, in many cases, a non-profit making sideline that gives them and their families great satisfaction to see the community back firing again.

It's not only Pubs but Coffee shops, Stores, Supermarkets, Milk Bars, Restaurants, Hardware Stores, Fuel Stations, and the list goes on.

In my old home town of Marnoo (Vic), in the last 30 years, we have lost the Pub, Motel, Milk Bar, General Store/Supermarket, Garage/Fuel Station, Plumber, Electrician and Pool.

A mate of mine, Sandy McGregor, who has a successful Australia-wide business and Farms locally with his brother, has injected funds into renovating the Sporting Clubrooms and Oval (pictured below). Now it's a destination for the community and their families, a place to go every Friday night (and Saturday during Cricket season). It's also a spot of one-off events, and there have even been a couple of weddings.

Guys like Sandy have the initiative, drive and dollars to make sure these projects turn out to be a success that will continue for years ahead.

These are great projects to be involved in, and you will see more of these things pop up in the future.

What can you do in your community?

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