POPULAR Publicans Martyn ‘Marty’ and Donna Phillips are celebrating 25 years at beloved family-owned local pub, The Coffs Hotel.

It was their proud children Samuel, Max and Peta who were the first to congratulate their parents on the landmark anniversary,

“Congratulations, what an awesome achievement, I take my hat off to you Mum and Dad,” announced Samuel.

“The pub has been through floods, fires, another flood and now the pandemic.

“We’ve been through a lot but you know what we’re still thriving with an awesome family, team and venue, here’s cheers to 25 years, bring on St Paddy’s Day,” said Samuel.

An emotional Marty shared the significance of the milestone after their worst year in 25 years.

“It’s extra special to celebrate the occasion with family, we are so proud of Sam, Max and Peta who travelled up from Sydney and Wally Walton who has lived here for 20 years, he is like family to us.

“St Patrick’s Day is a big day for us, and it’s a great occasion to bounce back and celebrate after our worst year in our 25 years at the pub.

It has not always been an easy road for Marty and Donna.

“We’ve got so many memories, we took over the pub in 1996 and after six months we had a one hundred year flood, cars were floating down the Pacific Highway, there was a bloke kayaking down the street, it was like a river, the pub was completely under water.

“Six months later, in 1997, we held our first St Patrick’s Day on 17 March which is also my wife’s (Donna) birthday and also my grandmother’s birthday who is half Irish.

“Every man and his dog was at the pub to celebrate our very first St Patrick’s Day 24 years ago.

“Andrew Fraser the local MP was here and radio station manager Gary Liden insisted we have another Irish night, which we did a few months later and it became a tradition ever since.

“That’s when we opened the Front Bar and named it the Shamrock Bar, our Irish tenant Dennis ‘Irish’ Coleman Burns loved it,” said Marty.

As always, March 17 will be a time for celebration in 2020 at the Hotel.

“We are pulling out all the stops this year, entertainment starts at 10am when the pub opens and Lenny the Leprechaun kicks off the Irish lunch fare which includes Guinness Pie and Irish Stew.

“We have local bands playing all day, ‘Just Like That’ are playing in the beer garden, ‘Bad Sneakers’ are playing in the back bar from 5pm, Bagpipes at dusk and Kailey Pallas is playing in the Shamrock Bar from 6pm.

“It’s a great way to celebrate the past and look forward to the future, a good time to be had by all, to be sure, to be sure,” laughed Marty.

And there’s more good news for publicans and punters enjoying pints of the black stuff on 17 March as the NSW Government announced that standing and drinking at an indoor bar will be permitted from St Patrick’s Day if no further COVID-19 outbreaks occur.

“The government has done a great job controlling it (the pandemic), being able to stand is a huge milestone, onwards and upwards,” said Marty.

And there was further good news for the hospitality industry as NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced that up to 30 people will be permitted to dance at any one time.

 

By David WIGLEY