By Annette Shailer
The Willoughby Hotel on Sydney’s North Shore celebrated its impressive 110th year in operation at an event last night (Oct 15).
More than 160 locals, businesses and industry members turned out to acknowledge the rich history of the venue, which includes it once being the drinking hole of great Australian poet Henry Lawson.
Willoughby Council Mayor, Pat Reilly, spoke about the history of the venue and its significance as an icon in the local area, finishing his speech with a rendition of the Louis Armstrong classic, When You’re Smiling.
The traditional hotel is owned by National Leisure and Gaming (NLG), with CEO, Andrew Jolliffe, paying tribute to the sheer resilience of the North Shore institution is an ever-changing market.
"We’ve chosen The Willoughby Hotel as our head office base not only for its efficient geographical proximity, but also because to us it is a constant reminder of what success looks like in our industry," he said.
"The Willoughby Hotel is a true local’s pub and is celebrating its 110 year birthday. In doing so it is reflective of what a traditional hotel offering needs to look like in order to sustain a century of challenges to market share and the expectations of its proximate community."