Car crash devastates regional pub owners

The Border Inn, the only pub servicing the remote village of Apsley in regional Victoria has had to shut its doors after a car ran off the road at high speed and destroyed not only the art deco facade, but the bar and dining room as well.

The car landed the fireplace in the parlour, with the driver and a passenger then fleeing the scene.

The town has been left devastated by the loss of what has served as the social centre of the town for over 170 years.

The driver is yet to be apprehended.

The destruction comes after The Baron Inn was finding its feet post COVID and attracting the tourist dollar to the region to dine and rink at the iconic pub.

Owners Shane Burke and Catherine Warke only left Melbourne in July 2022 to buy the pub.

They are determined re-build.

“The question is how long that might take,” said Burke. “It’s a great community, a great town and a great pub. We’re staying.”

On the weekend before the crash, the small town attracted 1000 people: its population is just 300.

“Hundreds and hundreds of people were here, lots of stallholders, cars lined the streets, a lot of families out, people dining in the pub,” local Cynthia Watt told The Age.

The pub is crucial to the life of the town, with fears by some locals that without the pub the town would die.

Prior to the current owners, a consortium of 23 residents got together to buy and revive the venue and it became the gathering place for sporting clubs, book clubs and other community groups.

A corner part of the pub even became a general store.

They put the pub up for sale in 2020. While it was slow to sell due to COVID, Burke heard Watt heard about the pub while listening to the radio.

Looking for a tree change, the pair purchased the pub.

They will now stay to once again rebuild.

Jonathan Jackson - 30-11-22