Everyone has a story to tell about local breweries and hotels, it seems, so Orange and District Historical Society's next 'Made in Orange' meeting, on Wednesday, July 28, will be sure to evoke some lively discussion.
In the days before railway lines, when the transportation of heavy items such as beer meant long and arduous journeys over difficult terrain, it was not surprising that towns of any size had several breweries to serve the local population.
A number of breweries sprung up in Orange so that locals could slake their thirst, such as Henry Boxall's Brewery at Narrambla (1852), John Chynoweth's Brewery, the Standard Brewery (also known as Elwin's Brewery), and the Red Lion Brewery, which went under a number of names over the years including Burton Brewery, Lindsay's Brewery, Lords Place Brewery and Orange Brewery.
The hotels they served were many and varied, some changing their names over the years.
The Club Hotel, with its distinctive long, wide verandahs, occupied the corner of Summer Street and Lords Place for many years. The site is now taken up by the Hotel Canobolas. Diagonally opposite, the Royal Hotel was once called the Wellington Inn and was a booking office for Cobb & Co carriages. Hotels occupied the corners of many streets in Orange, such as the Exchange Hotel, which was situated where the Westpac Bank is now, on the corner of Summer and Anson streets. Some betrayed the Irish origins of their owners, such as the Daniel O'Connell Hotel, which was situated between Kite and Moulder streets and owned by Pat Fahy.
Guest speakers will be Toney Fitzgerald and Ross Maroney. Orange born Toney Fitzgerald is writing a book on local breweries, while historian Ross Maroney is well known in the city for his knowledge of local historical buildings and his fine drawings of places of interest.
The meeting will take place at the Gladstone Hotel function room at 7 for 7.30pm. There is a small charge of $3 for members of Orange and District Historical Society and $5 for non-members, to cover costs. Light refreshments will be served.
If you have any inquiries or would like to attend the meeting, please RSVP to Phil Stevenson on 6362-3257, mobile 0402 412 188 or email ibiswines@bigpond.com