Photos courtesy of The Manly Hotel.
FROM THE MANLY HOTEL
When the hotel’s license transferred into their names in 1980, the McDonald siblings set about turning The Manly Hotel into a venue that was ahead of market trends at the time.
You want a liquor barn? In 1982, you got it! How about a beer garden and two completely refurbished bars? In 1986, consider it done!
Some West Indian Termites got swept up in the renovation fever in 1989. Unfortunately, their vision wasn’t shared with the McDonalds, and they were sent off to the big termite mound in the sky. But termites weren’t the only animal invaders that needed to be dealt with during this decade.
A horse walked into a bar – no, really! A horse walked into OUR bar! After an Expo 88 celebration a gentleman thought that the Clipper Gaming Lounge might be an ideal place to water his real, live horse. After ripping off the ice machine door and sending people running in its wake, it was decided that horses weren’t ideal patrons. Who would have thought a “No Horses In Bar” sign would be required? The sign is still fixed above the Clipper Gaming Lounge door to this day, just in case.
Sandy McDonald described his role in the industry to the Wynnum Redlands Herald in 1984: “I’ve got a sort of wandering brief which covers everything… generally trying to encourage social activity. That’s really what hotels are all about.”
