Community & Business
11 May, 2023
A nod to the past and an eye to the future
The streets of Nobby were packed with cars last Wednesday as visitors ascended onto the town’s historic Rudd’s Pub for the official opening of the Steele Rudd Memorial and new outdoor area.
Owners Evan and Gayle Jones have always placed an emphasis on the pub’s history, named after one of the region’s most well known figures, author Arthur Hoey Davis, best known as Steele Rudd.
They have also worked diligently to modernise the pub, opened in 1893, for example by building a big ‘barn’ function room in 2019 and now the new outdoor area which was officially opened on Wednesday.
When it came to Rudd’s Pub staff, all hands were on deck to make the day a success.
The day’s festivities began at 10am.
Guests travelled from across the region to attend, many of whom grew up in Nobby or with family connections, such as the Buckle family.
After ample time to enjoy a few drinks, meals and live music, official proceedings began.
Speaking from a make-shift stage created using a truck, Evan spoke about his own history and his involvement with the pub.
He said he could remember his days as a seven-year-old attending Back Plains State School, which is immortalised in a photograph that can be found on the pub’s walls.
Close to 70 years later, after a long and storied life travelling all over Australia as a truck driver he wound up not far from home.
You can’t have a pub without beer so naturally beer played a key role in the celebration.
An old wooden keg of Castlemaine Perkins XXXX beer was dusted off and opened, with Evan, fittingly, having the first sip.
Great-grandson of Steele Rudd, Peter Glenn, did the honours of opening the keg.
Speakers included a representative from the Queensland Hotels Association, a body that was instrumental in helping Evan and Gayle secure their licence.
The memorial was officially opened by Deputy Mayor of the Toowoomba Region Geoff McDonald.
Cr McDonald spoke about the importance of recognising the region’s figures of the past, such as Steele Rudd.
He suggested it would be a nice idea to have something like an annual Steele Rudd day held at Rudd’s Pub.
After the presentation, Gary Fogarty recited bush poetry and a raffle was held which included replica inaugural Broncos jerseys which include Power’s as a sponsor.
In his days a truck driver, Evan drove one of the first truckloads of Power’s beer out of Yatala.
