HENTY locals will fight the closure of the town’s only pub, despite publican plans to call last drinks next month.
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The iconic Doodle Cooma Arms Hotel will shut its doors permanently on November 7.
Henty local Edward Dale said the closure would leave a hole in local life.
The hotel was a popular Tuesday and Thursday night destination for sporting teams after training.
It is also the epicentre of town action and revenue during the Henty Machinery Field Days.
”It’s where a certain percentage of the community goes nearly everyday,” Mr Dale said.
”That’s where they go, it’s their meeting place … certain people have their own.”
But the retiree said locals planned to fight its permanent closure and were looking at ways to re-open the Doodle Cooma’s doors.
“The community will rally around it and find a way out so that it doesn't have to close because we certainly don’t want it to close,” Mr Dale said.
“I wouldn’t comment at this stage how it’s going to happen just that it probably will happen.
“I probably would think it would be similar to the community bank, Henty was the first community in NSW to have a community bank.”
Publican of nine years Paddy Hodgkin said he had been trying to offload the pub to new blood, but with no success.
“We’ve been trying to sell for four to five years and we just haven’t been able to, so we’ve decided we can move on and sell it later,” he said.
“Business is good but hotel sales are very slow at the moment for some reason.”
Mr Hodgkin said there were several prospective buyers at the moment so he hoped the pub wouldn’t be closed for long so it could continue as the community’s beating heart.
“Somebody will eventually buy whether we are here are not,” he said.
“Residents are disappointed of course, but they understand why we are doing it, we’ve been here nine years.”
Chapman Gould and May agent Doug May has been trying to sell the property for the past four months and was looking for offers over $300,000.
The hotel has a average weekly turnover of $14,000, excluding gaming profits.
“It’s certainly good value for a hotel in a one pub town,” he said.
The Doodle Cooma Arms Hotel has a bar, lounge, TAB, kitchen and a covered in beer garden.
There is also 12 accommodation rooms and a one bedroom live in residence included.
The hotel was originally built in 1889, a year after the town of Henty was officially established and three years before the first school opened.
