When Sebastopol's Royal Mail Hotel shut in mid-2018 leaving staff without a future and creditors unpaid, the future of hospitality in Ballarat looked uncertain.
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Its closure was one of a brace of hospitality failures in Ballarat. In a short period the Athletic Club Brewery, Seymour's Hotel, the Opulance nightclub, Mojo's Nightclub and Bar and Sutton's House of Music all folded. Since then the Miners' Tavern has followed. While three of those involved the same group of managers, the overall outlook for running hotels and nightclubs in the city appeared bleak.
For many years the issue of alcohol licences in Ballarat was in the hands of a select few people with connections in council and lots of cash. If prospective applicants didn't know the right people, or weren't part of the 'in-crowd', they were unlikely to succeed.
Small venues and bars were persona non grata; new ventures needed the imprimatur of the 'right people'. Big hotels and nightclubs connected to them were the preferred model.
While the big hotels and hospitality venues are still largely the domain of a select few groups in Ballarat, smaller venues and hotels are increasingly popular.
Fast forward to the 2020s and Ballarat has seen a boom in small bars and a resurgence in some of the hotels lost in recent years.
The Munster Arms has undergone a major renovation; The Eastern Station Hotel became The Eastern and has an enviable reputation for rock and roll and a relaxed atmosphere. Karova has become Volta and is booking bands; Lost Ones is under new management and is committed to the future.
Newcomers Piano Bar, The Comfort of Strangers, Pancho and RJM's have all been added to the options available on the northside of the CBD.
South of Sturt Street the options have been less visible. Hotels have shut along Albert Street; The Globe, one of Ballarat's first watering holes, is a bulldozed memory now. The Atlantic is unlikely to open as a hotel again.
So the reopening of the Royal Mail by a local couple will be welcome news, especially for those who were emotionally invested in the 152-year-old pub, like Rob Allen.
Allen was the president of the Royal Mail Sporting Club. The club organised monthly events for its members: bus tours, pool competitions, activities for children and general get-togethers.
At the time of the closure he reflected on the opinion of the community: "The closure of the pub has affected a lot of people. We had a local, who's recently passed away. He used to come in every Friday night. We called him Pete the Butcher. He used to get the meat for the social club; his wife is a life member of the club.
"There's a family there, the McPhans. Their father, grandfather, he died in the pub, it was the last place he went, so there's that really strong personal connection for them. There are hundreds of stories like that.
"You could walk in there and make great mates. And you'd stay mates with them. It's not just a pub."
So reconnecting to local history is an important aspect for the new owners, and for Nancy Lane, discovering she has a local genealogy is all the more exciting, given she was born in the United States - Seattle, to be exact.
Lane and partner John Rattley hope to have the Royal Mail open by March, after renovations.
She says her 'family-history-mad' brother has discovered their lineage can be traced back to one of Sebastopol's most influential founders, Thomas Bray, and his family.
Bray was an early may of the Borough and often performed the duties of a local magistrate, as well as being involved in much of the early life of Ballarat overall.
Ms Lane says the Bray and Lane families who originally settled in Sebastopol, Ross Creek and Napoleons are her forebears, which is a nice surprise for someone who's called Ballarat home for three years and is about to take on one of the city's most historic hotels.
For Mr Rattley, his investment of time, money and knowledge into the Royal Mail is not something he expects instant returns from.
"This is a long-term venture," he said.
"I've got family that have been in and around hospitality for a long time, so they're going to come on board. I've got sons, they're heavily involved in sport in the community; they'll be in and around the hotel too.
"We plan to put in a new beer garden at the back. We do have a big vision for the hotel, but it'll be done in stages."
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