‘Save our pub’: Locals rally to fix 150 year old Footscray Hotel

An iconic pub which has served some of Melbourne’s biggest names for 150 years has fallen into disrepair, with owners fearing the worst amid a major need for renovations.

Footscray Hotel manager Sharon Kanna says the pub is in desperate need of repair. Picture: Nilsson Jones

The owners of an iconic “old school” pub — which has served some of Melbourne’s biggest names for 150 years — have issued a desperate plea for help as “uncertainty” looms over the venue.

The future of the Footscray Hotel — which has stood on Hopkins St since 1871 — remains in limbo, with the pub’s staff and passionate community rallying to raise funds towards much needed renovations.

The “essential” issues facing the pub include repairing the roof and ceiling which have deteriorated as well as the plumbing.

The Footscray Hotel has stood on Hopkins St since 1871. Picture: Nilsson Jones

Footscray Hotel manager Sharon Kanna said she was “worried” a lack of repairs would mean the pub would be forced to close.

“We just really need repairs,” she said.

“There’s a leak on the roof which has gone through to the men’s toilets and has wrecked the entrance to the men’s toilets so now people have to go through the back.

“We’re an old style pub and try and help our community as much as we can, keeping beer prices low.

“We don’t want to be like the new gentrified pubs — we want to stay old school.

“It’s costing us a lot of money and we don’t have the money to do (the repairs), there are only two of us here and it’s not like we’re a big company.”

The pub has served a prolific guestlist of Melbourne icons for more than a century, including Western Bulldogs AFL premiership player Tom Liberatore.

It has also provided refuge to locals who had “fallen on hard times”, often filling the bar bench with food on offer from local foodbanks.

Melbourne comedian Trent Mahon — who runs the Footsloose comedy free open mic night every Thursday at the pub — launched an online fundraiser to support the cause.

He said the pub’s presence in the community was even more significant given its history and the “gentrification” across Melbourne.

“We still want to keep most of the asthetics, we like being one of the last old style hotels on the outskirts of Melbourne,” he said.

“You dont get places like that anymore.

“We want to try keep it all going to weather the storm of gentrification in the area because it’s a great alternative for a cheap get together and a great place for the community.

“It’s a haven for locals, a stage for performers, and a place where everyone is welcome. It’s one of the last affordable spots in Melbourne where community truly thrives.”

The pub has become renowned for its cheap beer prices, selling pints at just $9.