Terminus Hotel, Alison Whyte, Fred Whitlock

Today’s Good Weekend has a “2 of Us” profile by Bernadette Clohesy of the pair who own the Terminus Hotel, 39 year old Alison Whyte, and 41 year old Fred Whitlock. It’s certainly changing. Upstairs is the now mandatory fine dining restaurant, but there’s also a big party room giving out onto a large deck. Haven’t tried the restaurant, but the pub grub is superb. In fact, it’s a great pub. The place has a website which I have just discovered. Its history of the pub, which the pair purchased in 1996 — 11 years ago — is entertaining. It reveals that the original third partner is the bloke who bought and presumably did up the Healesville Hotel, another great pub, though mainly for the well heeled, unlike the egalitarian Terminus. I signed up for the mailing list so as not to miss out on events such as the 7 Culinary Disasters from the 70s for $70 dinner just gone.

Since the profile of the Whyte-Whitlock combo doesn’t seem to be available online, here are the bare bones, the bits at least not already covered by this newspaper (here and here). Whyte’s from Tasmania, Whitlock from New Zealand. They met at the Victorian College of the Arts. The class of people who transferred from Duntroon to the VCA might conceivably number one: just Whitlock. They have three children under 6: Rose, Milly and Atticus, and live in the Yarra Valley. That seems to have something to do with Whitlock getting stabbed in the head by a local: Continue reading “Terminus Hotel, Alison Whyte, Fred Whitlock”

Rove’s back in Abbo

Abbotsford boy, John McManus, son of John McManus and best known as the crab in Finding Nemo, has apparently got over the sad death by breast cancer on Remembrance Day last year of his young wife, ‘Home and Away’ and ‘All Saints’ actress Belinda Emmett, and the 2004 destruction by fire of his Abbotsford studio. John and Blindy courted for 5 years and were married for less than 2.

The show has had what they call a ‘major overhaul’ and sports a new crew. My great mate the furniture manufacturer across the road says (i) an old lady nearby is going batty and (ii) the new crew are not quite so friendly in response to his garrulous waves from his factory, but he’s giving them time. The first show for a while screened Sunday night, and attracted 1.69 million viewers, two of whom were Miss K and me (all in the name of journalism). There were funny bits, none of which were associated with Ross Noble, and most of which were associated with Hamish Blake and Dave Hughes, but what was Toni Collette thinking when she dressed in a bright yellow dress and red shoes? The Comedy Festival is almost upon us. Hopefully someone has a comedy about the Prime Minister and Mister Hicks. Must get out more.