Naughtons to toast 10 years under its current custodians

Naughtons Hotel will mark 10 years under the stewardship of Ryan Moses and his family with a community celebration on Saturday, August 15, inviting Parkville locals, students, hospital workers and regulars to raise a glass to one of the suburb’s most important meeting places.

The anniversary event will run from 3pm until late at the historic Royal Parade pub, with live music, outdoor marquees, fire pits, a barbecue, family activities and a series of $10 specials to mark the milestone.

For Mr Moses, who took over the venue with his wife, and business partners Ryan and Laura Berry in August 2016, the occasion is about more than the survival of a hospitality business. It is a celebration of the community that has embraced the pub for the past decade.

“Ten years is, I think, a huge achievement in hospitality,” Mr Moses told Inner City News.

“It’s certainly flown by, but when you consider what we’ve endured and survived over the last decade … there are constant challenges. But I think for us, we’re here for the long haul.”

The pub will offer $10 specials including six oysters, Tasmanian sparkling, mulled wine and beer, while families can enjoy free face painting and fire pits along Royal Parade, where children will be able to toast marshmallows. Live acoustic music will run outside from 3pm to 8pm before the celebrations move indoors later in the evening with a band and festivities continuing inside.

There will also be a meat tray raffle, with proceeds donated to a local charity.

“It’ll just be a great chance to bring people together and celebrate the community and the friendships that we’ve formed over the last decade,” Mr Moses said.

Naughtons has been serving Parkville since 1873, making it one of Melbourne’s oldest continuously trading pubs. Originally established as the Port Phillip Agricultural Hotel, it has long served the surrounding residential streets, the University of Melbourne, nearby colleges and the medical precinct.

Mr Moses said the importance of the pub as a community hub had been clear from the moment the new operators were “thrown the keys” on a Monday night in August 2016.

“That first Monday night we had about 120 people walk through the door, all locals,” he said.

“I felt even from that first night that everyone was very supportive. They came to meet us, but also to let us know they were going to support us, which they have very much so over the last decade.”

In a suburb with relatively few businesses or public gathering places, Mr Moses said Naughtons played an important role as a meeting point for residents.

“It’s a beautiful residential suburb, but there’s kind of us, the post office and the cafe,” he said. “I think it is a really important meeting and joining point for everyone.”

That role extends well beyond drinks and meals. Naughtons regularly hosts local gatherings, including Parkville Association events, Christmas in July functions and other community catch-ups.

“In hospitality, it’s got to be a two-way street,” Mr Moses said.

“The community support us and help us keep the lights on and the beers pouring. But we’ve also got to return that favour and provide a space and a function that they need for their own community.”

The past decade has also seen Mr Moses and his team work to reconnect the pub with nearby students, particularly through renewed relationships with Trinity College across the road.

He said the previous operators had moved away from students, but the current team had made a conscious effort to welcome them back, sponsoring college football, soccer, theatre and other activities.

Mr Moses said the pub’s identity now rested on three pillars: South Parkville locals, students and university academics, and staff from the surrounding hospitals and medical research precinct.

While the venue has been modernised, including through a major renovation, Mr Moses, who has also led the revival of the Court House Hotel in neighbouring North Melbourne in recent years, said its success remained rooted in the old-fashioned idea of connection.

“At both of our pubs, one thing the community comments on a lot is when they come in, they see the same faces,” he said.

“To us, that’s super important because we want our regulars to know the team and feel connected to the team.”

The Naughtons 10-year celebration begins at 3pm and runs until late on Saturday, August 15. •