Sydney’s oldest pub host Australia Day after hospitality group banned parties for fear of causing ‘hurt’
The licensee of the iconic 196-year-old pub said they will be celebrating Australia Day “come rain or shine” and he is urging others to do the same.
NSW
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The oldest establishment in Sydney is defiantly toasting Australia Day and urging others to do the same after a hospitality giant ordered its 200 venues to ditch the festivities, prompting Opposition leader Peter Dutton to urge patrons to boycott pub party poopers.
As the iconic tune Men at Work’s Down Under pumped through the 196-year-old Fortune of War pub in The Rocks, licensee of 11 years Steven Speed, 55, said: “Over the years, they’ve tried to ban Anzac Day, they’ve tried to ban Christmas Day and now they’re trying to take away Australia Day.
“For all my 55 years I’ve celebrated it and we will again on January 26 2025 with live music, a big BBQ and a drink or two for those who want to raise a glass to living in the best country on the planet,” he said.
“We are celebrating – it’s a day for everyone to enjoy, no matter what their colour – we are at the gateway of the greatest city and the oldest part of it, so what is there not to enjoy?
“We are also part of the Premier’s planned Australia Day celebrations around Sydney Harbour- rain hail or shine it will be a wonderful day for everyone to enjoy.
“Each to their own but I urge other pubs to do the same and celebrate.”
On Wednesday, Opposition leader Peter Dutton called on patrons to cancel Christmas and Australia Day bookings and boycott pubs that have January 26 celebrations.
Lambasting the owners of Australian Venue Co, the nation’s second-largest pub group, which banned celebrations at 15 of its 200 NSW venues saying the holiday caused some people “sadness and hurt,” he said Australians “don’t want to be told what to think by pubs”.
“They want to go to the pub, they want to have a beer, they want to have a steak and catch up with their mates, unwind, watch a bit of sport on the TV,” Mr Dutton said.
“They don’t want to be told what the company believes … or that they shouldn’t celebrate this or that.
“If you’ve got a Christmas booking . . or an Australia Day booking with your friends and family that’s at a pub that’s not celebrating Australia Day, cancel it.
“Go to another pub that’s celebrating Australia Day.
“(Then) you’ll see the company’s change their behaviours pretty quickly,” he said.
Pub goer Donna Picker, 62, from Rylstone, in the NSW Central Tablelands, said she was “so angry” to hear the Australian Venue Co had cancelled her favourite day of the year.
“My family and I celebrate every year in the pub with our flags and drinks, - we’re part Maltese and part Aussie – and proudly Aussie. How dare the pubs tell us what we can and can’t do,” she said. “If you don’t want to go to the pub stay at home!”
Australian Venue Co, which runs 200 pubs and bars including many iconic venues in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia, has directed managers not to celebrate in its establishments on January 26.
By Monday, amid a staunch backlash, it apologised admitting the decision had caused “concern and confusion.”
“We sincerely regret that – our purpose is to reinforce community in our venues, not divide it. It is not for us to tell anyone whether or how to celebrate Australia Day,” a statement read.
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