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Hanging on for dear life in Nambour’s pub with no fear

Queensland is built on small businesses with big dreams, like fledgeling craft brewer, hotel proprietor and custodian of history Adam Tomlinson, writes Rebecca Levingston

Jun 30, 2021, updated Jun 30, 2021
Fledgeling craft brewer and publican Adam Tomlinson outside his Club Hotel in Nambour (Image: Sunshine Coast Regional Council)

Fledgeling craft brewer and publican Adam Tomlinson outside his Club Hotel in Nambour (Image: Sunshine Coast Regional Council)

Who opens a pub in the middle of a pandemic?

Meet Adam Tomlinson.

Ads, as he’s known to his friends, had long blond hair at university and spent long afternoons at the Uni bar with me. Research, as it turned out.

He ended up marrying my best friend Donna. He built roads for a few years and I knew he liked beer, but I never thought he’d have his own alehouse.

There were a few hints along the way including a stint living in Dublin that quenched his Guinness thirst. But it was a trip to the USA and some drinking sessions in Oregon that introduced him to the craft beer scene.

Ten years ago, Ads started brewing his own beer. Last year, he finally found a home for his brew in Queensland.

Nambour’s Club Hotel was a two-storey timber saloon built in 1911 and granted a liquor license soon after. Destroyed by a fire in 1938 and rebuilt the same year, she’s always maintained street presence but not always had a publican behind the bar.

This grand old dame in the main street of Nambour had been vacant for years until Ads made some inquiries.

He was originally looking at a shed in the backroads of Nambour but was convinced by an enthusiastic real estate agent and a flexible landlord who was happy to do a deal in the middle of a pandemic.

It took guts for Ads to sign the contract. He was determined to have a crack at his dream and it seemed the pieces were falling into place. He took it as a good omen that his own family had a history inside the pub with both his grandfather and great grandfather having drunk at the bar decades before.

Ads signed a lease in March 2020 and 10 days later, Queensland’s lockdown began.

“Everything shut,” he recalls, with a good dose of disbelief.

Adam still sounds a bit like he can’t believe his luck at the time – good and bad.

Fortunately, practicality trumped disappointment.

Having spent months dreaming of being a brewer when he was working in the gas fields of Chinchilla, Ads had plenty of energy to clean up the hotel during lockdown and get it ready for business.

On July 10, 2020, restrictions eased to allow gatherings of up to 100 people and that was the trigger Adam needed.

Stalwart Alehouse opened its doors on what would’ve been the 100th birthday of Adam’s grandfather – July 18, 2020. The same man who’d raised a glass there decades ago. It was an emotional moment.

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“I really feel like his spirit is with me at the pub,” says Adam. “Like my ancestors have guided me through the challenges.”

Now Ads can serve a pint to his own dad and lemonades to his two little girls.

The first year has tested every fibre of Adam, physically and emotionally. “It’s been bloody tough, but I have survived,”

He admits that behind the scenes it was really hard at times and says a few more tax exemptions wouldn’t go astray. Another lockdown this week will hurt. Every small business in Queensland knows that pain.

https://desbt.qld.gov.au/small-business/strategic-documents/small-business-strategy

There are 452,000 small businesses in Queensland that contribute $120 billion to the economy. They employ over 914,000 people which is about 42% of the private sector workforce, according to the state Government. Some haven’t made it through this pandemic and others have hung on for dear life.

As Adam prepares to celebrate his first year in business with a specially brewed anniversary ale, he knows there’ll be more tears and cheers to come.

“Even though the future is so uncertain, we still feel really excited,” says Adam.

“We” – he’s talking there about his wife. You know, my best friend Donna.

I might be biased, but I reckon she’s his best asset. A stalwart in her family and friendship circle. Small business requires a huge work ethic. A partner who’s willing to do the grunt work on the toughest days is often what gets a business through the first year. Well done Team Tomlinson.

Here’s to opening and reopening doors.

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