Pubs’ turmoil, triumphs and personalities

PUBS & Publicans of Meredith is a new book spotlighting the town’s hotel and inn scene from 1840 to 1960.

Written and researched by Kerrie Kruger, the publication shares stories of the Golden Fleece Inn, Gosling’s Hotel, Watson’s Hotel, The Royal Hotel, The Crown Hotel, The Meredith Hotel, the Huntsman’s Inn, and the Railway Hotel – now also called The Meredith Hotel.

The book was officially released last weekend at the Meredith Memorial Hall, where hundreds of people sat down to enjoy a launch event hosted by the Meredith History Interest Group.

“This all started back in 2019 as a small research project about Meredith’s pubs, to produce a flyer for a Meredith Pub Crawl self-guided walk… but the flyer grew,” Kruger said.

“Suddenly I had a 230-page book. Books are inanimate objects, but the words inside can transport you. This is a glimpse into the past of Meredith by the establishment of its eight hotels and inns.

“The book starts with the first inn and chronologically follows the pubs’ journeys. The stories are filled with great personalities, tales of turmoil and triumphs.”

Members of the Meredith History Interest Group and other community volunteers dressed up as some of the town’s past pub personalities at the launch, including Ellen and William Watson, and Martha Gosling Nugent, performing short scenes and monologues written as if from their old-world perspectives.

The book has been published within the Group’s Bringing History Alive project, financially supported by the Golden Plains Shire’s Community Strengthening Grants program.

Contact [email protected] for more information.