THE Bingara pub the late David Rose loved so much he bought it twice has been sold.
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There’s now a new David at the helm of the Sportsman’s Hotel, Bingara – David Barnes, a former refrigeration mechanic from Quirindi.
Mr Barnes owns the hotel with his partner, Belinda Eykamp, the former community services manager for Liverpool Plains Shire Council.
Neither have owned a pub before, although in a previous life Belinda did own a bottle shop.
Since December 17, when they officially took the reins of the Sportsman’s, their days have been hectic, to say the least.
“While it’s been a steep learning curve, I think it’s good that it’s been so flat out,” Mr Barnes said yesterday.
“We jumped in boots and all and I think that’s probably the best way to learn the ropes.”
While Ms Eykamp laughingly said she wasn’t quite so sure that approach was the best, she paid tribute to the hotel’s previous owner, Lyn Rose (Mr Barnes’s widow), and his daughter Rebecca Mack, who had been “extremely helpful, offering advice and assistance” when necessary.
“Everyone’s been very welcoming here,” Ms Eykamp said.
“Bingara is such a friendly little town, which has made it much easier for us.
“Lyn and Bec’s help, during this transitional phase, has been very much appreciated.”
The staff at the hotel have remained “pretty much the same”, although Ms Eykamp said she and Mr Barnes were doing a bit more in the bar and cleaning areas, as they learned all the procedures involved in the pub’s operation.
“We don’t plan to change too much – it’s going to be business as usual at the Sportsman’s,” Ms Eykamp said.