Written by Peter Wilmoth.
IT’S a special year here at The Birallee Tavern –we are celebrating our 30th birthday.
For three decades The Birallee Tavern in West Wodonga has been a much-loved meeting place and a social hub for the local community.
So let’s go back to 1994 when local publican and football legend Tom Doolan bought the land, built the Tavern and launched it with Wayne Reid and his wife Claire Doolan as partners.
We thought we’d get in touch with Tom to ask him to revisit those days when the The Birallee Tavern was still an idea rather than the much-loved part of Wodonga it is today.
Tom had vast experience with pubs. For eight years he had owned and run the historic Termo Hotel across the Murray in Albury. Built in 1880, The Terminus underwent a renovation 100 years later under Tom’s watch.
The Albury and District Historical Society noted: “In the late 1980s the hotel was extensively renovated and had a new lease of life as ‘The Termo’ under new owners Tom Doolan and Wayne Reid. The hotel became a venue focusing on food and on live music aimed at younger audiences.”
Built out of limestone and what Tom calls “distressed second-hand timber” The Birallee Tavern was officially launched by local Wodonga Bulldogs football legend Gary Williamson.
In the 1960s Gary played for Richmond and South Melbourne in the then VFL, and 205 games for Wodonga in the Ovens and Murray Football League. In 1969 he was a member of Wodonga’s Premiership side.
The Tavern’s launch had a nautical note, as Tom remembers, with a champagne bottle being cracked into a wall to start its journey.
And what a journey it’s been.
Tom knew from the start that providing a welcoming environment was the first and major role for a country pub. It had to feel like a place where everyone could come in, have a drink or a meal, and a friendly chat.
Tom made sure that happened, and the community appreciated it. Being a publican, he says, requires an understanding of people, and Tom’s time around football clubs came in useful when the local teams dropped in.
Tom was a star forward for the Albury Tigers in the 1980s and led the club to three successive Grand Finals. After retiring in 1985 he left his job as a schoolteacher to become a publican.
His experience meant he possessed a deep understanding of the importance of social get-togethers for footballers. “The Raiders boys would come into the Birallee often,” he says of the local Wodonga club. “It was a de-brief for the players without the coach annoying them.”
The Birallee Tavern has over these 30 years been a popular gathering spot to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.
“Pubs are the last place you can meet on neutral ground,” Tom says. “You can have a coffee in a café during the day but at night, if you want a chance meeting with someone and want to meet new friends the pub is the place to go.
“My role was to create an atmosphere where people want to come and socialise. I could have a beer with anyone who came to our pub. They’re good people and fun to be with.”
The Birralee Tavern has always been about the chance to gather and share stories, for everyone in the community.
“You can have a beer at home of course, but it’s not all about the beer,” says Tom. “It’s about the company.”
The Birallee Tavern has certainly provided that.
Here’s to the next 30 years.
