Ones Contend
pp. 31-33 · Read in the full issue
An Old Tradition Passes
And Three New
The Title!
By a Staff Reporter
After almost 30 years as unofficial “head quarters” for visiting Islands men in Sydney, the New Guinea Bar at Ushers Hotel closed forever on June 30. The hotel is to be turned into a block of offices. Where, now, will be the new meeting place, with its New Guinea Book so that the boys from the Islands can leave messages for each other? By early July there were no less than three Sydney hotels with plans for New Guinea Bars with New Guinea books! (Over)
T he Old and the New
familiar sight over the years that won’t be seen [?]er again—the view (right) of Ushers New Guinea [?]r from near the Castlereagh Street doorway. [?]me of the gentlemen with their feet firmly placed [?] the brass rail are from New Guinea, and New [?]uinea boots were on that rail, off and on, for most 30 years until June 30, when Ushers closed, [?]ver the years, two of the barmaids have married [?]ew Guinea men. There was always a considerate [?]aring for any tale of woe in the New Guinea Bar. [?]e top photo shows the lounge bar at The [?]stlereagh Hotel, and (lower) the Colonial Bar [?] be re-named the New Guinea Bar) at Pfahlerts. [?]e Sportsman’s Bar of the Hotel Australia is the [?]rd contender for New Guinea Bar honours now that the original haunt has Gone Finish.
IE hotels are the Australia, op posite Ushers in Castlereagh ;t, Pfahlerts, in Margaret it, near Wynyard Station, and Castlereagh Hotel, corner of lereagh and Park Streets, not from Sydney Town Hall, r. Bill Taylor, licensee of Pfah r which is a family concern, tied a New Guinea Bar some ths ago, at the instigation of one iis regular customers, Mr. D. veil, who is secretary for Yaffa icate, which has interests in the New Guinea newspapers. The appealed to Mr. Taylor because ad already planned far-reaching ges to the hotel’s lay-out. : is putting carpets throughout he bars, and installing a Buc ks’ Room and a Kon Tiki i, among other things. The Buc ks’ Room is decorated with old )ns, brought from New Cale , and a 15 ft out-rigger canoe the same place. . Taylor is turning the present lial Bar into a New Guinea Bar, vill decorate it with some native cts brought from the Territory, bar is already stocked with > of the New Guinea news s and PIM, but he does not t to have the final changes until about September. ;re will be a New Guinea Book.
Taylor points out that Pfah is in a central part of town hat there are handy bars and js for women at the hotel.
The Castlereagh
msec of The Castlereagh is Thompson, a former Naval with New Guinea experience, le first floor of the hotel Mr. pson has a lounge and bar The Quarterdeck, which he is g into a New Guinea Bar. It displays copies of the New a newspapers, PIM and the imes. re is a second bar handy Mr, Thompson says he is quite to make into an exclusive New a Bar if the need arises.
Thomson also is installing a Juinea Book. some months there have been people drinking at The eagh—most of them from the i Pacific, particularly from )ne of Mr. Thompson’s regu tomers, Mr. Bob Hewlett, im -1 on Mr. Thompson the need i Islands bar after Ushers ough it is not generally many Islands people apart hose from New Guinea have
met in Sydney at Ushers. Mr. Hew lett is well known in Fiji, where for some years he was in charge of the Visitors’ Bureau.
While these moves were going on, Miss Jean Geraghty, who for seven years had been in charge of Ushers New Guinea Bar, moved across to the Hotel Australia pending the im minent closing down of Ushers. Miss Geraghty, at Ushers, used to take a special interest in the New Guinea Book.