"The Blue Cow Hotel"

AKA. "THE ROYAL HOTEL"  AKA.  "THE QUEEN'S ARMS HOTEL."

Michael Erhardt came to Australia from Germany in 1856. He married Christina Haidle in Brisbane in 1858 and came to Allora about 1859. The Erhardts bought the 1 acre allotment on the south east corner of Herbert and Drayton Streets on the 29th November 1865. They also bought the allotment on the corner of Warwick and Arnold Streets on which they built “Roseneath” which still stands today. Michael Erhardt obtained a £500 loan from Allora store keeper John Hegarty and built a single story hotel at what is now No. 57 Herbert Street. He was issued the licence on the 22nd August 1866 and called the hotel the Queen’s Arms. He operated the hotel until the 30th June 1879 when it was sold to Charles Henry Wills. It was probably at this time when the name of the hotel was changed to the Royal. C. H. Wills had been manager of East Talgai for George Clark before taking over the hotel. Wills built a hall in Drayton Street next door to the hotel and this was known a Wills’ Hall. This building still stands as part of White’s Garage. From January 1880 to August 1883 the hotel and hall were leased to local farmer Patrick Kelley. The hall then became known as Kelley’s Hall. On the 31st March 1884 C. H. Wills sold to John Holmes who had previously been licensee of the Dalrymple Hotel and the Crown Inn. John Holmes held the freehold of the Royal Hotel until his death in 1901. The hotel was leased to John Kelly for a five year term from 1887. In September 1891, at the expiry of the lease, the licence was transferred to David Holmes, son of John Holmes. David had previously owned the Allora Butchering Establishment and had been born in the Dalrymple Hotel on the 17th June 1862. He died in the Royal Hotel at the young age of 35 in July 1897. The licence was transferred to his father John who in turn transferred it to Edward Aldridge in December 1897. E. H. Morgan held the licence in 1899 and in December of that year it was transferred to J. J. Lydon. Lydon was the licensee when John Holmes died in June 1901. John Holmes’ will had stipulated that the hotel be left to his youngest sons Thomas and Esau, but 17 days before his death he added a codicil to say that the hotel was to be sold upon his death and the proceeds be divided between Thomas and Esau. Esau Holmes’ cordial factory which occupied the old hall was to be subdivided off and left to Esau. J. J. Lydon transferred the licence to Ellen McCormack in June 1903. Ellen McCormack was the daughter of Patrick Kelley, a previous licensee of the hotel and his wife Mary nee Mahar. He had opened Tattersall’s Hotel on the Forde Street corner in the 1880’s. Ellen Kelley had married George McCormack in 1899 but unfortunately George had died in 1901. Ellen McCormack had also purchased the freehold of the hotel thus beginning a remarkable dynasty of family ownership of the hotel which lasted for over fifty years. Ellen McCormack remarried James Edward Flynn in 1904. James Flynn held the licence until 1911 when it was transferred back to his wife Ellen Flynn. In 1912 Mary Toohey, wife of John Toohey, took a ten year lease of the hotel. This lease was transferred to Arthur Edward Bacon in the same year. Ellen Flynn died in 1912 and the executors of her estate were her brother William Owen Kelley and Thomas Mahar.
Arthur Edward Bacon transferred the licence to John Thomas Marshall in August 1914. Marshall held it until September 1915 when it was transferred to George Ellis who advertised an Overland car for hire.  In May 1919 the lease of the hotel was transferred to Richard Dean Swift who was a married man with three children. On the 15th June 1920, after experiencing domestic problems, Dean Swift was found dead on the floor of an upstairs bedroom with a gun shot wound to the roof of the mouth. The gun had belonged to his wife who had previously used it to fire several shots into the wall. The hotel licence was transferred to Clarice Swift after her husband’s death. She transferred it to Patrick Richard Stapleton who was given a public send off when he left in October 1922. The licence was then transferred to James Thomas Shaw. The licence passed through the hands of John Joseph Fitzgerald, Amy Sarah Wilson, wife of Albert John Wilson, and Donald James Hayes. D. J. Hayes died on the 9th of September 1926.
On the 11th October 1927 a Certificate of Title for the land on which the Royal Hotel stood, was issued to Mary Josephine McCormack of Brisbane. Title to the land up to that date must have been tied up in the estate of her mother Ellen Flynn, formerly McCormack, nee Kelley. A lease of the hotel was produced for George James Mahony on the same date. Mary Josephine McCormack married Daniel Arthur McKendry on the 11th April 1928. The licence of the hotel was transferred in turn from George Mahony to Mathew Lynam, to Matthew Conroy, and to Charles Leslie Ambrose Wright. C. L. A. Wright was the licensee when the hotel burned to the ground on Sunday morning 10th May 1931. Also destroyed were the Royal Hotel Buildings which occupied the allotment up to the Central Café. The hotel must have been rebuilt later in the year because in early 1932 Mary McKendry was advertising in the Allora Guardian as owner and manager of the “New Royal Hotel”. Daniel McKendry must have died in 1932 because Mary McKendry is recorded a widow on lease documents.
Mary McKendry held the licence of the hotel during the 1930’s and on the 11th February 1935 married Jeremiah Thomas Collins. In 1946 the hotel was leased by Mary Josephine Collins to Harold Charles Roberts. The following is a list of the other lessees of the hotel up to its sale by Mary Collins;
Sydney Arthur Talbot
William Arthur Goldrick and James Arthur Black
David Arthur Davies and Clara Frances Davies
Roy Kingsley Kratzmann
John William Milton and Bertha Millie Milton
Joseph Fredrick Murphy and Ethel Alma Murphy
Lawrence (?) Ashwin and Phyllis May Ashwin
William Robert Everett
George James Johnston and Joan Marjorie Johnston
From the Allora Advertiser, J. T. “Jerry” Collins had taken over the licence on the 22nd April 1954.  Jock and Margaret McKendry may have taken over soon after because the hotel was advertised as “McKendry’s Royal Hotel” in July 1954. Jock McKendry was the son of Mary Josephine Collins formerly McKendry nee McCormack. Jock would have been a fourth generation family licensee after Patrick Kelley, Ellen Flynn, and Mary Collins. Mr. and Mrs. Bill Everett took over the hotel from the McKendry’s in February 1957.
Norm and Bertha Wallace bought the hotel from George and Marjorie Johnston in August 1968. Norm and Bertha were the parents of Gold Coast horse trainer John Wallace. It was Bertha’s proud claim to be related to Queensland bushrangers Patrick and James Kenniff. Bertha lived into her nineties and was a mother figure to the young jockeys and stable staff at her son’s stables. Norm and Bertha Wallace leased the hotel to Denis Readhead, a polo playing West Australian, before returning to take over the hotel. In July 1973 they sold the hotel to Ken and Joy Moloney. The hotel passed through the following hands:
Francis Henry and Kerry Ann Jarvis and Francis Joseph and Evelyn Ann Jarvis
Donald Alexander Scott
Ernest John Galton and Noreen Gwen Galton
Frank Ernest John and Maureen Galton and Barry and Donnamarie Cooke
Colin Andrew Greenslades and Dulcie Evelyn Greenslades
Ross David Garry and Rhonda Laurel Garry
Patricia Ovid Guilford and Amy Olive Aitkin.
Patti and David Guilford operated the “Mooloolah” heriford stud at “Richmond” from 1973 before Patti bought out Joan Kiernan’s dress shop in 1980. Joan Kiernan had started her dress shop and beauty salon in the old sample room of the Royal Hotel in July 1951. The room had been occupied in the 1930’s by J. E. Donegan, solicitor. In August 1950 Mrs. Elma Greer had opened a frock and beauty salon there. It was then occupied by Sandy Plotski, a barber. Ted Banham had a fruit and vegetable shop there in 1954 and I am told a dry cleaner occupied it for a short time.
Denise Dalgleish bought the Royal Hotel in February 1986. Denise and her mother Jackie Gallagher attended the first Bicentennial Celebration Committee meeting in August 1986 and took an active part in the organization of the very successful Australia Day 1988 and Back to Allora celebrations. In about 1996 after a visit to the Snowy Mountains and seeing Mount Blue Cow, Denise changed the name of her hotel to the Blue Cow Hotel. She has not yet reached the length of ownership of the hotel of Mary McKendry but probably holds the record for her time as licensee of a hotel in Allora.

PUBLICANS.
According to the “Office of Liquor & Gaming  Regulations. 2009.”
“The Blue Cow Hotel.”
Denise Mary Dalgleish from 10/2/1986.
“The Royal Hotel.”
Patricia Ovid Guildford from 16/11/1982.
Ross David Garry from 11/12/1978.
Colin Andrew Greenslade from 29/8/1977.
Ernest John Galton from 26/3/1976.
Irene Isabel Thompson from 3/2/1975.
Francis Henry Jarvis from 24/6/1974.
Joy Moloney from 31/7/1973.
Bertha Wallace from 17/11/1972.
Dennis Melville Readhead from 16/9/1970.
Bertha Wallace from 8/8/1968.
George James Johnston from 31/3/1958.
End of records.