Be there no place like pub, it's a topic that is dear to my heart and definitely worthy of a blog post. And while some posts are a struggle to get words down, well, this is a subject I could merrily chat about for hours and if I didn't have a scorching headache right now, I'd have myself an adult beverage as I typed, you know in honor of the subject?

The iconic "Pub" has been in my mind a lot lately since we've been working on the basement renovation and as things change down there, it's no longer a vintage wonderland and becoming more of a multi-use and functional space that will work better for not only my needs but those of my husband as well. So why not call it a "pub"? Since there is a bar down there and all. And I cast my mind back to the pubs of my youth and really, am not ashamed to say that I've been into many - from my childhood years being toted to pubs with my parents, to my wicked teenager years of sneaking into pubs that were out of town and then as an adult who spent many quality weekends at pubs with friends. And now as I toodle into my middle aged years, I still love a good pub stop on trips home for a feed and a frothy.

So let me give you a brief rundown of the pub as it stands and as it was. I could delve into the history of them but I really don't have all day so I'll give a quick skim of the background and then touch on a few memorable moments where pubs were a big part of my life on both a social scale but also for work. Yes, I worked in a pub. Or two. Actually, I think three? 

The classic Australian pub has been around since the beginning of time (don't ask what time that was but lets say late 1800s for shits and giggles) and no country town was complete without one. These were establishments for travelers and wanderers to stop at to get a refreshment and a solid nap in before hopping back into the saddle and heading off to their next destination. I guess you could say that they are the equivalent of a tavern or an inn? A bar for the drinking, a spot to eat and rooms to rest. Even some of the smaller towns with a handful of houses would have a pub which was often a community gathering place, and if you happened to live in a larger town or even the city....well that meant options and more importantly, the grounds for a great Australian Pub Crawl.

My earliest memories of pub start with The Jamieson Courthouse Hotel which is located in the town I grew up in - a small town country beauty that had a classic two story design with attached motel. Bar on one side, eating area on the other, a separate entry with foyer that led to the downstairs rooms and stairs that led to the upper part of the accommodations. This is where the adults of town would meet to socialize, drink and have their fun and us children would be given the freedom to romp in the dining side where there usually were games such as pinball, Atari, pac-man and such. We'd get to have a counter meal (pub fish and chips was always my favorite) and then we'd just play and do our thing until it was time for our parents to take us home. I remember sometimes taking naps under tables, the excitement if friends from out of town were visiting and overall, it was just a part of social life.

Oh gosh I really could be here for HOURS just chatting about this one pub alone. From childhood to teen years, to adulthood. The time the pub burned down, the new owners son starting at our school (we had huge crushes), learning how to play Two Up on Anzac Day with the local copper giving us the tutorial. The calendar on the wall marking when each teen in town turned 18 and were legal to drink in there (that was a LONG wait for all us kids) and of course my first real job there when I turned 15. I'd left school and didn't really have much on the horizon other than a steady gig of baby sitting. I recall walking past the pub one day and noticing one of the local gents unloading the beer truck, he was a wiry old timer whom we all knew and he was struggling with the slabs of beer so I offered to help. By the time we were done, the pits of his elbows were smeared with blood from lifting all those slabs and I had bruising myself in the same spots. A few hours later, I mooched into the pub to find my Dad and to try and scab some money when the pub owner handed me a $20.00 for helping that day and then offered me a job.

Well! I thought I was just the ducks guts and started off helping clean the accommodations, graduated to helping clean the bar area and eventually made my way into doing some evenings helping in the kitchen. Oddly I enjoyed it all and never minded the work, I enjoyed the mixed bag of people whom I worked with, I enjoyed the morning battle with Bluey over what music we'd listen to as we did our work. The only part I did not enjoy was the cleaning of the rest rooms since there was usually a solid spew on the floor in one of the stalls and sometimes the motel rooms would be left in a rather feral state by out of town guests.

This job only lasted a few months during that summer and I would get up in the mornings, go to work, get things done and then wrap things up by noon and then had the rest of the day to bludge down by the river. But all good things must end and once I hit 16, it was time to get a real full time job so I said my farewells and started working at a pharmacy at the larger town nearby.

Honorable mention and something to note, while this was our main pub in town, for those feeling adventurous, there was also the Lakeside Pub a few miles out the way, the Kevington Hotel a further distance in the other direction and then beyond that, there was the Gaffneys Creek Hotel and then The Woods Point. I've wonderful memories of each of them, some I'll drop in here further down this post.

So time passes, I eventually turn 18 and am legally allowed to drink in the pub and oh what a shame, my birthday just so happened to fall near a long weekend! Time to PARTY! What a weekend that was and of course it was celebrated at the Courthouse Hotel. Not longer after, I moved to the bigger town I was working in and well, there was more than one pub there so obviously there were good times to be had!! Some I had already visited when I was 16, yes, it wasn't uncommon for us to sneak into the pubs since people there didn't know we were underage. I remember when I was doing the debutante ball, my deb partner and I would piss off into one of the pubs in town for a few beers and a couple of games of pool before dance practice which made the whole process somewhat bearable.

Over the years after that, well, a lot of ground was covered as I moved to a bigger town, then to the city. It was a skill, to sniff out the better pubs that had more action and which places has just the right vibe. Sometimes we'd go to pub for a big night out, sometimes just for a counter meal and a few beers. Sometimes there would be a band, other times it was about commandeering the jukebox for the best music. For a brief time, I lived in a coastal suburb and worked at a pub there in the restaurant area - that was a great old pub with more of a modern concept of smaller bar area, larger eating area, no accommodations, drive thru bottle shop at the back, night club upstairs and an area for the pokies beyond the restaurant area. Loved working there too but being a part timer, it was time to get real and get a job that offered better hours and a steady wage. Off to retail I went.

There are so many more things I could type, so much I could say but then again, that would maybe incriminate myself and sometimes it's best to leave a little mystery right? HA! And now here I am, remembering all those days, all those pubs, some I'll never forget and some I'd rather not remember. And if I can just bring a little tiny bit of that feeling into my basement, then that will have to tide me over until I go home again. The basement is no longer a vintage wonderland and I stopped wanting it to be that a long time ago. I realized I wanted to be enjoying my life and living my life - not digging around hunting for remnants of other peoples lives. I wanted to create memories, not sift through others.

Which brings me to OUR pub. Our little corner of paradise in the basement, shelves of gin and wine, waiting on the day of completion so I can invite dear friends over to sit and spin a yarn, listen to the tunes of our younger years, play carpet bowls and create memories for us to enjoy. What we'll call our little pub is yet to be revealed and maybe I'll keep it classic, maybe I'll get creative. Who knows?

Before I wind this up, I must admit that while I've cried very little since the pandemic began, I absolutely howled a million tears when I discovered that one of our old gems, The Kevington Pub had to close the doors for good since it was no longer feasible for them to remain open. I rubbed the scar on my knee that I got after falling down in the middle of the road outside that pub when I was a little girl (no I was NOT drunk) and I just cried tears of sorrow for a place that's always been in my heart. Same for the one place in Chicago that had that essence of an Aussie pub - when this pandemic forced them to shut their doors for good, I sobbed (on a happier note, they eventually found a new location and have since relocated and reopened so if you happen to be in Chicago, be sure to google Pippins and pay them a visit!) - ah what does it say about me as a person that my tears fell for something like pubs and bars closing? I'm sure people could have a field day with that analysis. 

And now I wrap this up and get back to work but before I do, below is a photo of the bar area in the basement as it currently looks. Mid renovation, so much more work to do but it will all be worth it in the long run. Until then, I raise my glass to you and to all the pubs I've loved. Cheers!

Sam.

'Oh it's-a lonesome away from your kindred and all
By the campfire at night we'll hear the wild dingoes call
But there's-a nothing so lonesome, morbid or drear
Than to stand in the bar of a pub with no beer' - Slim Dusty