Mr Andrews, after reading about my teenage years of devouring raspberries from a bar stool alongside my dad, explained it was his father Perc who was chiefly responsible for the hotel’s affectionate reference growing to cult status in Kyabram.
The 89-year-old, who celebrated another birthday last Thursday, called into the Free Press office to explain exactly how the ‘’Bluey’’ became known as the Blue Brick Hotel.
"It was my father, Perc, who made a comment to the owner of the hotel Hugh NcNeice, he said.
“My mother, Vera (widely known as Doll), shared the story with me about how a comment from Dad had developed into the hotel being known by its current name.”
The hotel was known almost exclusively as the Bluey when I was growing up and several people who I bumped into during opening week had trouble calling it anything else.
As for the story, it was Perc Andrews’ comment to the hotel owner, Mr McNeice, that remains a significant part of history.
“Dad apparently said to him (Mr McNeice), ‘Hughey, what have you done, it looks like a big Blue Brick’,’’ Mr Andrews said.
Mr Andrews, a former Kyabram Mayor of Kyabram said his father was a regular at the hotel, calling in for a beer after spending the day working as a labourer.
“My mum told me after Dad had died,” he said.
“Doll’’ Andrews lived to the ripe age of 90 and the longevity seems to have passed onto at least a few of her seven offspring.
Mr Andrews grew up with six brothers and sisters at Merrigum and three of his siblings are still alive.
While he turned 89 last week, his sister Margaret is 87 and living at Sheridan Aged Care facility in Kyabram.
He visits her once a week and also has the “baby of the family”, 62-year-old Bruce, still living at Merrigum.
Bruce is well known for his many years as champion of Merrigum Golf Club.
Another sister, Sylvia, died only a few weeks ago as a 93-year-old in her adopted home town of Mansfield.
The remaining members of the family, who have also passed, were Max, Cyril and Bena (the eldest of the seven).
Mr Andrews developed the Kyabram furniture store site, which is now M&S accounting, and also operated the rural mart in 1969, operating the site for more than a decade.
Walking through the mart and admiring the seemingly endless aisles of “goodies’’ is another of my reasonably fresh childhood memories.
In November this year Mr Andrews will have offered his Justice of the Peace services to Kyabram and district for 50 years.
HOTEL HISTORY
Kyabram historian Eileen Sullivan provided this insight into the Hugh McNiece ownership of the Kyabram Hotel.
McNiece was at the hotel from October 21, 1954 to November 26, 1959. His son Ivan was also involved in running the hotel, then referred to as McNiece’s Hotel or Kyabram Hotel in the Kyabram Free Press.
When the McNamara family operated the hotel it was, fittingly, known as McNamara’s Hotel.
When it was painted brown there was a brick painted blue above the corner entrance.
