Sunshine Coast pub owners ready for re-opening drinks with COVID-19 Jobs Support Loan
A Sunshine Coast community ‘busting’ to get back to their only pub in town will be able to re-join their pals at the bar as a COVID-19 Jobs Support Loan supports the Landsborough Pub owners to re-open.
Landsborough Pub
Terry and Lyn Morrow are confident they will be well-placed to re-open the Sunshine Coast pub during trading restrictions as a COVID-19 Jobs Support Loan means they are able to pay bills and support staff.
The loan scheme administered by the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority, provides finance of up to $250,000 for businesses and non-profit organisations impacted by COVID-19 to assist with carry-on expenses such as employee wages, rent and rates and other expenditure.
Terry said the COVID-19 Jobs Support Loan afforded him the confidence the business would be able to meet restrictions guidelines and remain viable as well as continue to support more than 30 staff where possible.
“The loan has given me the ability to sleep at night, it’s an insurance policy we can put away as we will need it,” he said.
“Knowing we have the loan, I can confidently open up for meals a lot sooner than what I originally anticipated. We can get ready for when we are able to re-open. I wouldn’t have been able to start up without it, but now I can bring some people back to work. We can bring people back a lot earlier. I couldn’t do that without it, I would have kept my head in the sand.
“We are becoming very proactive with the loan, we have been able to incur costs we otherwise wouldn’t have. It has given us the ability to put our front foot forward. When it came through, I thought how good is that.”
Terry said he had been involved in the Queensland hotel industry for more than 40 years but had never witnessed an impact like COVID-19.
“We have never experienced this before, it is totally unchartered territory,” he said.
“The food, sports bar, TAB and poker machines all stopped, everything came to a standstill. It’s not a nice feeling having an empty meeting place.”
The pub is an important fixture in the Sunshine Coast town and Terry says many people are looking forward to its re-opening.
“It’s the only pub in Landsborough and it really is the community hub of the town. I borrow the keys off the community and look after their meeting place which has been here for 120 years now,” he said.
“It’s a meeting place, a place where people come to conduct networking for all kinds of local businesses like builders, earthmovers and tree loppers. It’s a very good community, a very strong one.
“We’ve been here for 20 years and for 20 years the pub has been a part of our world.
“I’ve got people knocking me over in the street, all busting to know when the pub will re-open.”
For important information about your loan visit the COVID-19 Jobs Support Loan page.
QRIDA is delivering the $1 billion COVID-19 Jobs Support Loan Scheme on behalf of the Queensland Government.
