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Jan Juc’s The Beach Hotel was also named regional Victoria’s Best Pub Bar this week, an accolade they were awarded jointly with the South Gippsland-based Poowong Hotel, while The Wharf Shed’s Matthew Connell took home the Venue Manager of the Year Award.<\/p>\n
Stewart McKinnon from The Barwon Heads Hotel, also owned by Mr Taylor, was named this year’s Local Legend, an award that celebrates outstanding community service and achievement within the hospitality industry.<\/p>\n
Mr McKinnon was recognised for his contributions to local charities, raising thousands of dollars through initiatives he organised himself.<\/p>\n
“Stewart was inspirational in turning a very quiet public bar into a bustling little community,” Mr Taylor said.<\/p>\n
“During our happy hour on a Friday night, he’s initiative was to create a raffle that raised money for different charities in the area. The majority were local charities, and he did all the work himself by collecting and paying for vouchers and good and services from other business in Barwon Heads.<\/p>\n
“He did a fantastic job in raising a lot of money for local charities, which I believe to be very important.”<\/p>\n
Mr Taylor said it was “great” to see Mr McKinnon gain broader recognition for his efforts.<\/p>\n
“It was an excellent thing for him, because he put so much work into it, and a great thing for the hotel and for our broader community to recognise that we are invested into the important charities and requirements going on in our area.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE Grovedale Hotel was one of four local watering holes recognised on Monday night at Victoria’s most prestigious hospitality awards, which each year identifies the state’s best pubs and hotels. The venue was crowned regional Victoria’s Best PubTab at the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) Victoria’s State Awards for Excellence, beating out seven other finalists, including […]<\/p>\n