Through covid and flood: Family reflects on decade running country pub

Kim and Dave Stojanov are ready to hand over the lease to Molong's Freemason's Hotel, known as the the town's "bottom pub".

After nearly 11 years, thousands of meals and countless schooners, the pair made the announcement via social media recently.

"When it comes to rumours, I've always said 'don't believe anything until you hear it from me'," Mrs Stojanov said.

"Barely 24 hours in and there was a lot of interest already, including four locals who contacted with genuine intent of taking the pub on.

"I'm not going anywhere far, though, it just means I'll be sitting at your table waiting for you all.

"And I may not have come out with a lot, but at least we had a good time."

Mrs Stojanov said the reasoning behind offloading the pub came down to spending more time with family.

She said the decision to throw in the towel was "not an easy one" and made over the span of a few months.

The building - rebuilt in 1911 with an upper floor - is owned by a Sydney-based investor and there are future plans to repair the upstairs balcony, which would open up more than 10 rooms for accommodation.

But it's no secret the site is a hot spot for flooding during storm season when Molong Creek overflows, with water from the major November 14 deluge nearly licking the underbelly of the verandah.

The Stojanovs said the "hardest thing" during that flood was letting go of a rotating staff of 21 in the lead-up to Christmas.

Mrs Stojanov described it as a time when "heartbreak and depression" rocked the CBD.

"We'd only just come out of COVID the three years leading into it as well, so it was at this point where you'd already maxed yourself out as a business owner, so you couldn't go and tap into other money to keep going, because there was nothing left," she said.

"It was just a really tough time, but we're not hiding anything here when it comes to the place flooding, and we'd only just replaced $30,000 worth of flooring from the [flood] before it.

"After the last one, I said to people 'if it floods again, the keys will be left on the bar'."

The Freemasons' honcho said the ideal candidate to take over would have to be business-minded, creative and town friendly for the place to be "a happy pub".

She said those who've already shown interest have those qualities, feeling confident "people would love them" if any one of them chose to hop in the driver's seat.

But Mrs Stojanov is also bracing herself for further interest as the site is finally at a place where it's functioning as a proper bar and bistro again from 2pm until late during the week, including weekends from 10am.

"The pub was pretty much a shell when we took it on and we've replaced everything over the years," she said.

"But I just think it needs fresh eyes and a fresh vision, because there's a whole heap of things someone could still do to the place to make it boom.

"It's all set up for music with a big stage out the back, and nearly every appliance between the kitchen and bar has been newly replaced."

Still $70,000 out of pocket on top of a $50,000 grant and still ploughing money into the place, there isn't a lot of regret for Mrs Stojanov, if any.

While she says many in Bank Street "still aren't okay" more than 16 months since the deluge, she's gained respect both for and from many people from rising after each setback.

"This pub is the hub of the town because it's the first thing people see when they travel through; that's why I kept going," she said.

"But I can't thank people enough for their support and the community for what it did for us during that time, because they were some of our hardest times and people dug deep to help us when they didn't have to.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm tired, but I've loved it here. I've really, really loved it, but it's time for me to step down now.

"Whoever takes this on will be getting one of the best country pubs there is."