Tributes

Walcha Road Hotel is surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in Australia. We want to share with you some of the magnificent beauty that we are surrounded by and tributes from the locals.

 

Tony Kennelly 
In 2004 the Walcha Road Hotel was almost completely destroyed by fire, it took 3 years to rebuild with lots of local support.

Tony is a local grazier with a history of song writing and entertainment. In 2007 on the reopening of the pub, Tony was kind enough to write this beautiful historical song which captured the story magnificently.

In 2012 this song was entered into the Tamworth Music Awards for factual songs written about local NSW hotels, sponsored by the AHA, where it received a number of accolades.

Tony is hoping to release this song with numerous of his other works in the near future.

Walcha Road Song
Wake up Garry don’t you die in bed
The chill of the night turned into fire instead
100 years of drinkin or so I’ve been told
Turned into ashes down the Walcha Raod

Buy the dream own a pub
Country town in the middle of the scrub
Take a chance what can you loose
Cook a bit of food sell a bit of booze
Life is short deaths to long
Cheatin the devil until your gone

I didn’t think in the middle of the night
That death came knockin in that fire light
Garry woke up screamin what can you smell
That aint a bushfire I can tell
You better have a look Garry What can you see
You better take my hand girl and come with me
But Suesann wasn’t there she’d gone away
Went to Queensland on a holiday

He ran outside and did what he could
The smoke was choking the smell of burnt wood
Help came soon to this broken dream
Just another day in an endless stream

He looked outside a brand new day
Lets start rebuilding what do you say
Come on Suesanne its not so bad
It will be better, better than we had

A temporary pub built out the back
An old train carriage on an old black track
3 years later an opening day
The Mayor was there had a lot to say

The locals cheered and partied on
Told bad jokes sung good songs
Rum ran well Beer it flowed
And we raise our glasses to The Walcha Road

 

 

 

Ralph Andrew Blackstock

Ralph Andrew Blackstock

Ralph Andrew Blackstock

Ralph was a local legend at Woolbrook, he was a poet, philosopher and a brilliant story teller. He lived in this area for 15 years and many locals have spent hours listening to his yarns.

He was a retired railway man and spent his life crisscrossing the country in the caboose of the train with plenty of time on his hands to reflect on the problems of the world, which influenced his poems.

Below is a telling tribute of our little hidden pub:

You can have your slick Motels or your big flashy club
And your fancy restaurants that dish up foreign grub
If you want to be fair dinkum and see what “Aussie” life’s about
Go to the hotel at Walcha Road; go and check it out.

Forget your airs and graces, no need to act the swell
For in amongst the locals that doesn’t go down too well
Just be yourself and take it easy, front the bar and get a beer
Be it in a middy or a schooner don’t be bashful, show no fear.

Ask the locals how they’re going, get the history of the place
Don’t be in a hurry, settle down to country pace
Hear all the local legends there is plenty to be told
This pub has got the yarns, a poet’s pot of gold.

If you are feeling hungry don’t move on to somewhere chic
A counter lunch or dinner will more than do the trick
Simple local tucker with atmosphere for spice
Cooked just how you like it for a good old country price.

If you need a place to stay forget about that motel
Check in bed and breakfast at the Walcha Road Hotel
Whether you are from a city or far out in the scrub
You’ll learn a bit about Australia at this great old country pub.