The DePasquale family are back at Kyabram's Blue Brick Hotel, with Anthony leading the way for the hotel's next generation. The doors opened at noon on Wednesday, December 17, and before they officially opened, the young footballer met with the Free Press to chat about how the reopening came to be.
Photo by
Jemma Jones
While the Blue Brick Hotel isn’t taking orders for food just yet, local football star and overseer of operations Anthony DePasquale is hoping to serve up something a bit more meaningful: a place to gather locally.
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The Blue Brick Hotel opened for drinks at noon on Wednesday, December 17, and by work knock-off time the place was filled with locals looking to beat the heat with a pint or two.
It was exactly the warm, welcoming atmosphere Anthony had envisioned when speaking with the Free Press just hours earlier.
“I want the locals to walk in, see familiar, friendly faces and just be a place that they can come catch up with mates, have beers and have a good time,” he said.
“We don’t want people going to Echuca or Shepparton for a beer — we’ve got such a beautiful town here.”
It's been quite the undertaking getting the Blue Brick back up and running, with liquor licence delays and restoration challenges pushing back the opening date longer than the DePasquale family had hoped.
The family have held the keys to the historic building for two decades, watching various tenants come and go.
This time, however, they decided to take the reins themselves.
Doors are open to the Blue Brick Hotel.
Photo by
Jemma Jones
“I had a conversation with Dad ... and it wasn’t being used, it was almost costing us money not having anyone in,” Anthony said.
“It was too nice not to have it running ... so we thought, well let’s give it a go.”
Running a pub was never part of his life plan, but with the unwavering support of his family and friends, he said the venture had felt surprisingly manageable.
When the announcement the Blue Brick was going to reopen was made over social media, the reaction was instantaneous, with hundreds of locals expressing their excitement.
Anthony said he was overwhelmed with the community response.
“It was pretty incredible the response to us reopening,” he said.
“It makes me feel confident that we will be fine, and the town will keep it running.”
For those hoping to grab a bite to eat, Anthony said they would not have to wait long, as he was hoping to have a full staff roster, including in the kitchen, in the future.
“We'll start off with just bar, obviously, through functions and catering for new food,” Anthony said.
“And then down the track we're going to expand into the kitchen.
“But, it’s just so nice and so big that it needs to open for the summer. It needs to be running.
“I just want people to know I'm doing this for the town ... I want to do it for them, and I want them to have somewhere to come and enjoy.”
