Curtains for town's last pub

KIRK HARGREAVES/ The Press

NEW DIRECTOR: John MacLennan will be taking over at the Empire Hotel in Kumara. The hotel has had its licence revoked.

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Residents say Kumara had 50 pubs in its goldmining heyday.

It now has none after the Liquor Licensing Authority cancelled the licence of Empire Hotel publican Peter Jenkinson.

The loss of the pub has turned some thirsty residents against wood turner Carey Dillon, whose store and home is diagonally opposite the Empire on the main road. He campaigned to have the pub closed down.

Dillon supplied the Liquor Licensing Authority with videos showing patrons drinking and smoking on the street outside the pub. He appeared at the authority's hearing as an objector.

The authority's decision cancelling Jenkinson's licence described several cases of drunken behaviour caught on camera.

"A patron attempted to drive his four-wheel motorbike into the bar by driving it up the steps," it said.

"He appeared to be intoxicated. He tried twice to do so before going inside. No-one tried to stop him."

Four days later, patrons were seen drinking outside with Jenkinson, who did not try to get them to go inside.

"A male wearing an apron and nothing else paraded in the hotel for about an hour. When he gave evidence, Mr Jenkinson said that he gave the person a warning as soon as he became aware of his actions," the authority said.

Other tapes showed patrons of the Empire urinating in bushes outside the pub the same patron three times in one tape and throwing empty bottles across the road.

In cancelling the licence and Jenkinson's manager's certificate, the authority said: "We have seldom heard a worse summary of the previous 18 months in terms of the manner in which the sale of liquor has been conducted."

Kumara residents yesterday defended the antics, saying the town, with a population of 405, was a close-knit community where there was no trouble because everyone knew everyone else.

One neighbour of the pub said: "People might have ridden motorbikes in the bar, but it's a country pub. It's just people having fun."

Several agencies, including police and Ministry of Health, supported the application to shut down the pub.

Some residents criticised Dillon yesterday.

"No-one else in town minds," said one man.

John MacLennan, who is applying for a new licence for the pub, said Dillon could be seen "running round with his video camera" after midnight on some nights.

Dillon was unable to be contacted for comment yesterday, and his home and shop were locked.

MacLennan said Dillon had not been seen in the town since the decision came out.

He said the new licence had been applied for, and he hoped the pub would reopen early next month.

- © Fairfax NZ News