Legacy of historic pub will endure

TWO Tasmanian hospitality gurus, having spent three years lovingly refurbishing a historic Midlands pub, have decided to exit the game in pursuit of their new goal: seeing their talented daughter, who is the pub’s general manager, become a household name in the industry.

Hobart husband-and-wife team Daryl Potter and Nadine Cove signed a contract on Oatlands’ The Kentish Tasmania, built circa 1830, “two weeks before the world ended” because of the Covid lockdown, Mr Potter said. Rather than stage small areas of the pub for redevelopment – “we didn’t anticipate quite how badly in disrepair the building was”, Mr Potter said – the pair decided to mostly shut up shop and give the lurching pub the tender loving care it needed.

Among the improvements include a reborn bar area, cafe/restaurant and beer garden, with a smaller “makeover” of the seven self-contained rooms upstairs.

“We wanted to take it back to as simple as we could,” Mr Potter said. “We’re not quite where we wanted to be in terms of all our plans regarding the hotel redevelopment; we haven’t hit our peak by any stretch of imagination.” Mr Potter said after three years of pandemic and renovations, the pair “knew the time was right” to sell up, listing the hotel and business for sale with Howell Property Group via expressions of interest. While The Kentish will leave their possession, its legacy on the Cove/Potter family will remain.

Son Finn Potter, 18, “hadn’t quite decided his pathway” two years ago, but after getting on the tools with Daryl, he “ended up going and getting himself a carpentry apprenticeship”.

Finn is now completing his apprenticeship with Eiszele Construction Hobart. Daughter Remy Potter is also now “100 per cent hospitality” after her stint as the hotel’s general manager.

“She’s just an incredibly good and dedicated manager, dynamic and kind and genuine in the whole bundle,” Mr Potter said.

“We made our best effort to put her off hospitality.”

Mr Potter and Ms Cove, who met in the industry, went on to own a string of venues on the mainland before relocating to Tasmania. Remy and MasterChef contestant Sabina Newton recently hosted a pop-up lunch at The Kentish, which “sold out in 48 hours”, Mr Potter said.

“The quality of the food and service, (Nadine and I were) very chuffed and proud,” he said. “They just did a really awesome job.” The couple now want to help Remy succeed in the cutthroat industry. “We always had a timeframe in line for what we wanted to do with the hotel – we always said we would support her,” Mr Potter said.

Oatlands, he said, was coming forward in leaps and bounds.

“There is great change in Oatlands, we love the town,” Mr Potter said. “It deserves to be really put back on the map.”

Other key recent projects in Oatlands include the $10m aquatic centre, which opened last spring; the $14m Callington Mill & Distillery, the owner of which, John Ibrahim, reportedly plans to spend an additional $22m on bond rooms to store whisky, a bottling plant, a cooperage and other tourism ventures; and a proposed $18m, 43-room boutique hotel on Barrack St.

“Oatlands is certainly a place that is going places,” Southern Midlands Mayor Edwin Batt said.

“As a council, we recognise it is a very special town with very special heritage values. It’s got the largest collection of Georgian Houses in the southern hemisphere. We’ve taken steps to preserve ambience of place, things like putting the power underground.”

Council played a key role in the revival of Callington Mill, buying it from the state government and bringing it back from disrepair, a move that “made it an iconic building, a real beacon, which became attractive to private enterprise”.

Mr Batt said council hoped to recapture the magic with a similar project, the purchase and refurbishment of the derelict Oatlands Commisariat. The project has “significant potential to create meaningful public space”, according to the master plan.

The Barrack St hotel, by Tasmanian company THN Hospitality, was the missing piece of the puzzle, Mr Batt said.

“There’s nowhere you can put a coach-load of people overnight, a 43-bed facility – that will be a ripper,” he said.

Oatlands won the 2022 Tasmanian Sustainable Communities – Tidy Town Award and will compete in the national competition in coming months.

There is great change in Oatlands, we love the town DARYL POTTER