Aussie , Aussie , Aussie – oi , oi oi ! The end of
by Greg Martin
The Maguire family ’ s 172-year link with the cherished Australian Hotel at McGraths Hill ended on September 12 , when Kim Maguire finalised the sale of the thriving business for a reputed $ 12 million to Highclere Hospitality Group principal , Warren Livingstone .
It has been presumed , and proven , that
Mine hosts at the Australian Hotel back in 2015 when they featured in a Hawkesbury ’ s finest article are Kim Maguire and her late husband , Michael .
Livingstone has an eye for a good buy on the hotel market and when Kim put the Australian Hotel up for sale , he was faster off the mark than Dr Henry Stanley in Darkest Africa .
Warren Livingstone was at the top of the queue when business acumen was being divvied out !
He was a pioneer in the early dotcom boom in Australia , established writtenbyme . com in San Francisco in 2000 and later sold the thriving business for a motza to giant US publisher , Simon & Schuster .
Warren returned home and founded the Fanatics , the booming sport tour company , and then in 2014 kicked off his interest in drinking holes .
The Australian Hotel ’ s fellow stablemates are the Captain Cook Hotel at Botany , Waverley ’ s Charing Cross Hotel , Hyde Park House in Darlinghurst and Slims Rooftop Bar opposite Sydney ’ s Hyde Park .
Cry no tears for Kim Maguire on parting ways with the Australian Hotel !
“ Selling the hotel and breaking the Maguire family ’ s long association with the hotel was gut-wrenching but there comes
a time in one ’ s life when you have to move on ,” Kim said .
Kim and her husband , Michael , had operated the business since 1983 until Michael passed away on May 3 , 2018 , after a courageous and long battle with throat cancer .
“ All of us have had to work our butts off in recent years because it has just been impossible to boost staff numbers despite plenty of people being out of work .
“ I have been blessed to have had wonderful staff , particularly Jody Smith , who has been with us for 35 years , Janene McNamara , who also worked at another job yet was always available when we needed her , and Sean McNamara , whose magic in the kitchen finally resulted in the kitchen making money .”
“ Despite the help of a wonderful staff and our two children , Chris and Belinda , I ’ ve had to put in between 120 and 130 hours each week to keep the business running and our customers happy ,” Kim said .
“ That ’ s not to say coming into the hotel every day was a chore !
“ I ’ ve spent many of the happiest days of my life in this place – I ’ ve loved the many aspects of running a hotel and ensuring our customers , especially the locals , regarded the Aussie as a home away from home .” The final day of trading was Father ’ s Day , September 4 , when it was a case of all-hands-ondeck when a huge crowd of customers , friends old and new , were on hand to bid farewell to the Maguires ’ association with the Aussie .
“ It was a truly amazing day – we were flat out from opening time until late into the night ,” Kim said .
We are looking for a self-motivated experienced advertising sales contractor
Last drinks ! Kim and her children , Belinda and Chris , and staff were flat out like a lizard drinking on the day the Maguire family ’ s long association with the Australian Hotel ended .
We have three thriving gloss magazines that distribute monthly and we need an advertising sales person to cover the Hills and Blacktown areas .
This is a great opportunity for someone that wants to make great money and work their own hours . There is scope for advancement to sales manager for the right candidate .
• Work from home - set your own hours
• Must have a computer , a phone and car
• Must have an ABN
• Sales experience essential and print advertising sales experience would be a huge advantage
• Must know how to cold call as well as follow through leads that email / phone in
• Be a self-starter .
Send your resume to julie @ hdinews . com . au
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8 ISSUE 150 // NOVEMBER 2022 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT