Heaps Good South Aussies | Christine McAuliffe revealed as the mind behind Adelaide’s The Highway Hotel’s iconic signs
Their iconic signs have become synonymous with the popular pub for well over a decade. But few know the real woman behind them – or her creative secrets.
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Occasionally outrageous, sometimes cheeky, but almost always amusing, The Highway Hotel’s iconic signs have become synonymous with the popular pub for well over a decade.
But the woman behind the funny slogans, Christine McAuliffe, can’t exactly remember how it all began.
“I’m not sure but it was about a year after I started in 2009 and it just became my job to change it daily,” said Ms McAuliffe, the Highway’s marketing and business development manager.
“We had just done a major reno and everyone had these electronic signs – which would be a lot easier – but (owner) Marty Palmer said he wanted the authenticity of the old sign and doing the letters manually.”
Ms McAuliffe’s task was clear: ignore the Plympton pub’s specials and use the giant signpost on Anzac Highway to engage motorists on their daily commute to work.
“We didn’t want to just do advertising. We’re aware those people in their cars sit at the traffic lights and it’s good to entertain them. That’s why you’ve got to keep it regular and change it every day,” she said.
“So each day, one of the kids has to get up on the scaffolding and change the letters.”
The wife of veteran horse racing caller Terry McAuliffe, the 54-year-old describes herself as more “sarcastic” than laugh-out-loud funny. So where does she get inspiration for the pub’s signage?
“To be honest, I can’t say that I come up with it all every day, there’s a lot of googling and Facebook scrolling,” she said.
“People who know it’s me see funny things and send them to me.
“We can’t write them too long – we’ve got nine lines and you can only fit 10 letters per line, so you’ve got to nail it early.”
Over the years, several of their signs have gone viral online, including the hotel’s response to a full-page newspaper advertisement taken out in 2022 by a scorned, yet anonymous, woman named Jenny, calling out her partner Steve’s alleged infidelity.
“Dear Jenny, I’m sorry. From all the Steves,” read The Highway’s sign the day after, which attracted national attention.
“I didn’t do that one to be honest – but that was one of our best. The Today Show even came and filmed us,” Ms McAuliffe said.
But the slogans don’t always hit the mark, with some of their female clientele in particular taking offence at the lighthearted humour.
“Sometimes we’ve had people calling us up all offended because they think it’s a male writing it – but it’s me,” she said.
“They think it might be sexist but it’s a girl writing it – so it’s not sexist.
“We just try to keep things current and topical so that it isn’t always dad jokes. We try not to do too many of those. Though they always make people laugh.”
More than 15 years since she started at the venue, Ms McAuliffe said she still loves coming to work every day.
“It’s always good fun. I work with some awesome people and it’s an easy job,” she said.
“We’re just here to entertain and make people happy. We just want people to enjoy themselves and enjoy our pub.
“But there’s a lot of pressure now, it’s getting hard to keep coming up with funny things to put up there!”
Heaps Good South Aussies is a new weekly Sunday Mail series, celebrating the state’s everyday unsung heroes who go above and beyond to make your day.
SOME OF THE HIGHWAY’S MOST POPULAR SIGNS
– The fact Keith Richards outlived Richard Simmons makes us question exercise!
– I don’t snore, I purr with the force of 10,000 kittens
– The biggest step in any relationship isn’t the first kiss, it’s the first fart
– Meet people the old fashioned way – through alcohol and poor judgement
– Boobs! The proof that men can focus on two things at once
– Our beer is as ice cold as your mother-in-law’s personality
– A quiet man is a thinking man. A quiet woman is just pissed
– Mum – the person you can call to see how long a chicken can last in a fridge!
– Back in the day, Tinder was how Kiwis liked their meat
– Don’t be mad at lazy people, they didn’t do anything
– Dear weather, stop showing off, we get it – you’re hot
– Father’s Day – it’s like Mother’s Day only you don’t spend as much
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Originally published as Heaps Good South Aussies | Christine McAuliffe revealed as the mind behind Adelaide’s The Highway Hotel’s iconic signs
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