Mr Douglas, who founded The Pub Group, was inducted into the Australian Hotel Association’s Hall of Fame, and awarded the Cyril Maloney Medal during the annual award ceremony at The Star in Sydney.

AHA CEO John Whelan told an audience of over 600, including premier Gladys Berejiklian, the story of Bevan, and his wife Joan, who “swapped horizontal customers for mostly vertical ones” in 1989 when he bought his first hotel, The Pub, while operating a funeral parlour.

“Our inductee instantly took to life as a publican, and over the years the business grew into a regional empire that now employs more than 400 staff,” Mr Whelan said.