March 29th, 2023Pub with no publicans: Smeaton hotel closed as publicans say ‘goodbye’
Smeaton is again without an operating pub after a decision by the publicans to move on amidst setbacks and following a much publicised incident that left one of the publicans injured in February.
The earlier reopening of the Cumberland Smeaton by couple James and Caleb Consiglio had been strongly welcomed by the wider local community and countless visitors.
But late last month publican James Consiglio was left injured and recovering after allegedly being struck by a vehicle in an attempt to deal with alleged troublemakers during a Friday night incident.
Many locals expressed concern for the couple who had breathed much-welcome fresh life into the historic, attractive old pub and countless locals were disgusted by reports of harassing behaviour “from a small handful of community members”.
Fears the Consiglios may be shutting up shop were strengthened when removal trucks were brought in on March 17. Then this Monday, March 27, these concerns were confirmed when the publicans announced via their social media account “This is Goodbye” and offered full refunds for anyone who had purchased a voucher.
Their post included the following statements:
“We thank you.
We started on this journey, newly weds, we found a place we wanted to call our forever home, a place where we could offer exceptional food, local beer, wine and spirits, a community affair, and we did just that. we reunited a community, we showcased our small town boasting Victoria’s oldest weatherboard pub, creating a destination for travellers near and far. We created a venue in our region where people could be.
It was never easy, we never thought it would be, but we also never knew that we would be subject to so much hate and harassment from a small handful of community members.
We have made the tough but necessary decision to close the pub, and move on. We do not want to be another failed marriage. Nor should we be the subject of hurtful, pathetic and disgraceful rumours.
We tried, we worked tirelessly to restore the pub to her beauty. We remain proud of our achievements and will never forget the comments about the wallpaper!
We sadly got to the point where we could no longer keep fixing capital repairs at our own expense, we could also not operate a pub that was unsafe for our staff to work in and for our guests. We could not make the uneducated see sense and uphold accountability.
We thank you for your loyalty, the moments you shared with us and our 162 year old girl. The birthdays, engagements, Christmas parties, hens parties, the morning chats over a bacon and egg roll. We will forever cherish these.
Every night we would read the reviews change and learn from what need to be, and felt the warmth from the kind words.
We loved the pub, our home, and our guests. No one has loved it more, we believe we truly respected her beauty like no one ever had.
We will miss serving you the best wines, food and service in the region…
Thank you for a fantastic time.
Caleb and James Consiglio
Publicans | The Cumberland Smeaton”
