IT'S been 18 months since the doors of the O'Connell Hotel closed to the public, and in that time, locals have been looking to find a way to quench their hard-earned thirst.
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And though the iconic village hotel is getting closer to a grand reopening, the wait isn't over yet.
The hotel was purchased on March 16 by the JB Hospitality Group, which is owned by Byram and Deborah Johnston.
The owners - and an abundance of local tradespeople - have been working tirelessly since then to ensure the hotel can be restored to its former glory, but the reopening still lies in the hands of Liquor and Gaming NSW.
In order for the hotel to reopen as the local watering hole, the venue's liquor licence needs to be renewed.
According to Nathan Johnston, son of the new owners, and communications and operations manager at the JB Hospitality Group, there is only one opportunity per month for this licence to be renewed.
"They only meet once a month to review liquor licences, and we know for a fact that we are without a liquor licence until they meet again in August," he said.
In the meantime, it provides more time for the facilities at the hotel to be restored to the highest standard ahead of what is hoped to be a spring reopening.
This has included internal and external renovations, as well as an upgrade to the accommodation facilities on the premises, and work to improve the camping grounds at the back of the pub.
This will include improvements to the outdoor amenities: the toilet block will be separated to allow both a male and female toilets, as opposed to a single block.
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"One of the more controversial things we did was pull the sign off the roof, which is the iconic sign on the O'Connell," Mr Johnston said.
When the sign came down, the JB Hospitality Group was inundated with emails and inquiries, but Mr Johnston assured that there was no reason to stress.
"We're just restoring that," he said.
The sign, repainted and restored, has since been placed back on the pub.
Locals have also been putting forward their suggestions for the return of the pub, and Mr Johnston said he is definitely taking these suggestions on board, as he knows that the pub's closure has been felt.
"We really understand that the community has been suffering over the last 18 months with the pub shut," he said.
"It's more than just a pub for the community, it's a real meeting place."
Mr Johnston said that is why JB Group is doing its utmost to take community suggestions on board.
He has received requests for gluten-free options on the menu, as well as the addition of old classics, with the aim to have food supplied by local producers.
The team at the O'Connell have also made the decision to add more taps so the pub can stock a higher number of beer and cider options.
"We're actually increasing the number of taps internally within the pub ... which will give us the opportunity to serve from the local breweries around the Bathurst region such as Reckless Brewing or Cosmo Brewing," Mr Johnston said.
"Instead of sacrificing some of the mainstream beers, we're just increasing the number of taps to be able to support those local breweries, which is really exciting, because one of the big focuses of the pub is to support the local community."
This support for the community will also be done with the hiring of an entirely local staff. Positions will be offered and contracted once an opening date is confirmed.
Once the hotel has received confirmation that the liquor licence has been reinstated, there will be announcements made regarding an opening date.
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