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    WELCOME: Border Inn Apsley owners Shane Burke and Catherine Warke. Picture: ABBY WALTER

Apsley's Border Inn – ‘More than your average pub’

By Abby Walter

Shane Burke and Catherine Warke are the latest owners of the Border Inn Apsley.

The pair moved from Melbourne in June and have plans to make the small-town pub ‘something special’.

Mr Burke first heard about the pub in February this year on the radio. It had been up for sale since early 2021. 



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“I was working in Melbourne driving a truck and heard the end of Cynthia Watt, who was a representative for the Border Inn’s shareholders, in her interview on the radio,” he said.

“I thought, this sounds like a community that really wants someone to be part of it going forward, so I listened to the interview and wrote down the Border Inn Apsley.

“I checked out who the agent was and organised with them to check it out the following Saturday.”

The pub has operated under a syndicate of 12 Apsley families, who purchased the pub as a ‘rescue mission’, since 2014.

“I was told about its rescue – the pub wasn’t trading, there were very few students at the school, the town was starting to wane, the only thing was the post office,” Mr Burke said.  

“So the 12 families came in, they rescued the pub, they renovated the kitchen, opened up the space and did a lot of renovations that gave us what we have today.

“If you Google Apsley, it will come up with a description, but the first image you see is a picture of the pub – it shows you where the pub sits in the landscape of the community. It’s an icon for the town.

“It’s not just a watering hole. There are book club meetings, the race club has its meetings here and a painting group use the space as well.

“It’s more than the average pub.”

Ms Warke said despite initially not knowing where Apsley was, as she came around a corner into the town, she saw the pub and it immediately appealed to her.

“With the art deco façade, I thought it looked really quaint,” she said.

“When we met all the shareholders, we knew they had an interest in people buying the hotel, but they wanted someone to be able to carry on their legacy.

“We must tick that box. We got along very well – it was very comfortable and they have been very supportive and helpful. In fact, the whole community has been very helpful.”

Mr Burke and Ms Warke said their focus was on the community.

“We’re going to have to cater for what the locals want, because at the end of the day it doesn’t matter how many cars pull in from wherever, if the locals aren’t supporting the pub, it’s not going to be successful,” Mr Burke said.

“On the first day we opened with a proper bar people came in and wanted a draught beer on tap because they’ve had to wait so long for that.”

Ms Warke said she was keen to become part of the community.

“We go for a walk and it takes ages to get back home again because we stop and talk to everybody – that’s really unusual when you come from Melbourne,” she said.

“Between the post office, the corner store and the pub, this street is injecting some life into the town and it’s exciting to be a part of that.”

Comfort food will be the star of the menu when the kitchen is up and running, with the pair planning to hire staff to assist with cooking.

“We want to put on a menu that appeals to everyone, so people can come and order something they are comfortable and familiar with – hearty, good comfort food,” Ms Warke said.

“We have a passion, we love cooking and food and thought this would be something nice to get our teeth into.

“We have been serving some complimentary food and we’re going to do that for just a little while so we can experiment with what people like and want, with just a sample of what is to come.

“The plan is to get more staff on board. A chef or cook would be perfect because we can cook but it’s hard to run a kitchen on your own.”

Mr Burke said all the ‘usual’ pub staples would be on the menu. “Chicken schnitzel, parma with or without ham – they’ll all be on the menu – plus beef schnitzel for those travelling across the border,” he said.

“One challenge with food is the cost, plus the cost of freight.

“It’s going to be hard to get a steak on the table for less than $35. If people come in and buy a steak hopefully, they buy a drink, and you make your margins there.”

Mr Burke said long-term plans involved modifications to the accommodation.

“It reminds me of when I went away as a child and holidays weren’t much on the agenda so the family stayed at the pub – it was a different time, but it reminds me of that and that’s what country pubs are about.

“We’re not all about making money; it’s a lifestyle choice, too.”

The entire August 17, 2022 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!