Big Mistake. Huge. How Pink left Manly Skiff club red faced over ID debacle

Confidential can reveal what Pink and her entourage got up to after being unceremoniously turfed out of Manly Skiff Club following an ID fracas on Monday.

In the iconic words of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman: “Big mistake. Big. Huge! I have to go shopping now”.

In this instance it might be better to say, ‘I have to go for a beer now’.

Confidential can reveal what was Manly 16FT Skiff Sailing Club’s loss is 4 Pines Brew Pub’s gain with pop superstar Pink making headlines over an unfortunate incident in Sydney on Monday.

Pop star Pink performs in Sydney. Photographer: Tom Parrish

The Manly Skiff Club reportedly denied Pink entry on her booking for a party of around eight as she didn’t have identification on her.

“She looked really happy,” said one source who observed the party at 4 Pines. “They all looked happy in fact, enjoying the food and drinks.”

Pink, along with her family and friends, had enjoyed a day on the harbour watching the US Super Bowl before heading to Manly for dinner.

They chose the location as they had been to Manly on previous Australian visits.

Manly 16FT Skiff Sailing Club.

Manly Market Manager Mark Eymes was one of several people who said they witnessed the awkward encounter while waiting in line at the harbourside venue.

“I overheard her saying that she had a booking, but when they asked her to provide her ID, she said she didn’t have any on her,” he told The Manly Observer.

“They said she couldn’t come in without it, even though she explained that she’d already secured her booking with a deposit.”

Mr Eymes told the publication he tried to help Pink, whose real name is Alecia Beth Moore, by informing several Skiff Club directors and the floor manager that the star was at the entrance and about to be turned away.

4 Pines Manly.

“Next thing, I saw Pink and her group walking away. They just turfed her out,” Mr Eymes said.

The Registered Clubs Act 1976 requires visitors of Clubs to provide an ID proving their address to gain temporary membership.

According to Mr Eymes, the singer did not exhibit any diva behaviour and left without a fuss.

“Not once did she throw her weight around. She was really pleasant despite being a little upset that she couldn’t come in. It was just such a shame and I felt a little embarrassed that a solution couldn’t be found,” he told the Manly Observer.

Matt Hazell, Secretary Manager of Manly Skiff Club, said in a statement that the Club “deeply regrets any inconvenience caused to Pink, her family and friends during her recent visit to the Club”.

“We sincerely apologise for the misunderstanding surrounding the ID requirement and will be using the incident to improve our processes in the future,” it read.

Locals condemned the venue decision.

“The Manly Business Chamber was horrified to hear that the red carpet was not rolled out for our celebrity guest,” the Chamber’s Monique Eggeling said. We’d love to host Pink any time in Manly if she’ll forgive us and come back. We have so many amazing waterfront venues, we hope she found another one eager to host her crew.”

Manly MP James Griffin said Pink’s first drink is on him next time she comes to town.

“Aside from the Spit Bridge normally keeping people away from Manly, we are a very friendly bunch, we’d love to have her back any time. I’ll even shout her a beer Skiff Club”

Night Time Industries Association CEO Mick Gibb said turning a superstar like Pink away from a Sydney venue showed rules around venues needed to be changed.

“Sydney’s night time economy has progressed leaps and bounds, however incidents like this, where protocol beats practicality, show there’s still opportunity for further regulatory reform,” he said.

“Thankfully the work done to date meant Pink and her group were able to find another great option right around the corner.”

Pop star Pink performs in Sydney. Photographer: Tom Parrish

The 4 Pines Brew Pub is about 400 metres from the Manly Skiff Club. There, the menu includes classic pub fare of burgers, fish & chips and chicken parma.

Pink, known for being low-key offstage, is in Sydney as part of her Summer Carnival stadium tour.

For this tour, she’s brought along the whole family: husband Carey Hart, and their two kids, Willow, 12, and James 7.

The family has been spotted soaking up some of Sydney’s most popular tourist attractions during their down time, including Bondi Beach and the Opera House. They also attended a local community show of In The Heights at Chatswood Concourse on Sunday.

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