Hotel managers leaving

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 1, Issue 37, 6 March 1984, Page 7

Hotel managers leaving

"We had to look at a map to find out where it was"said Ross Henry about his first contact with Ohakune, three years ago. Ross and his wife Gail were on their way from Hawkes Bay on a dark, wet and windy night in January 1981 to take over as managers of the Ohakune Hotel when they began to have second thoughts about their decision. But, in the three years since he and Gail have presided over the Ohakune Hotel, they have got to know the area well, made lots of friends, think their patrons are 'first class' and intend to keep in ' touch through various sporting and social contacts they've made in the Waimarino. Ross and Gail are moving south to manage the 54-bed Rutland Hotel in central Wanganui towards the middle of this month. For them it will be |kother new experience and ^Kallenge just as Ohakune was ... both had been in the hotel trade for a number of years but always in taverns. The Ohakune Hotel was their first as managers of an accommodation hotel. Ross who was born and educated in Hastings, got his first job with the ANZ Bank

and duririg the eight years he was with them worked in Hawkes Bay, Wellington and Blenheim. He then went to work for the Bay of Islands Power Board and remained for seven years. "One thing led to another" and he was invited to assist the manager of the Leopard Inn in Napier. From there he went to manage the Havelock Tavern before moving back as manager of the Leopard Inn in Napier. Meanwhile Gail, who was born in Auckland and educated in Cambridge, trained as a hairdresser. After practising in that discipline for six years, she took over the Jazz Diablo

Restaurant in Auckland and ran that for three years. She then worked for Leopard Breweries for 13 years. With their combined experience they decided to take on the part privatelyowned part brewery-owned Ohakune Hotel which also offered accommodation. They opted for Ohakune because the Turoa Skifield was being developed, skiing was 'taking off' and tourism was coming into it's own. They wanted to get a piece of the action. Both Ross and Gail have taken up skiing since they arrived ... neither had been on skis before. Ross, who had played representative rugby for Marlborough (as wing three-quarter) while working for the ANZ Bank down there, was injured in a game and gave up competitive rugby. He now plays only social rugby and is a qualified rugby referee ... he was Hawkes Bay's No. 1 rugby referee before he came to the Waimarino. When interviewed last week during their 'farewell party', both Ross and Gail said they would be back as often as possible. No replacement manager has yet been appointed but a decision is expected about the middle of this month.