General News
30 May, 2023
Pair farewell Thommo’s
THOMMO’S Hotel publicans Michael Torpy and Belinda Davies have said their farewells to Cobden.
THOMMO’S Hotel publicans Michael Torpy and Belinda Davies have said their farewells to Cobden.
The pair has sold the lease to Cobden’s historical hotel and will spend the next three months touring Europe.
The final farewells on Sunday was bittersweet for the pair who have enjoyed getting to know the Cobden and district community in the two-and-a-half years they have been at the hotel which saw a resurgence with them at the helm.
“We couldn’t be prouder of each other,” Ms Davies said.
While Ms Davies has a background in hospitality, Mr Torpy was new to the industry and has worked hard to learn the ins and outs of the business.
“We wanted to make sure we made our time worthwhile,” she said.
“Even though we’ve got great local staff we do it all ourselves.”
One goal the pair hoped to achieve with their time at Thommo’s was ensuring all groups within the community felt welcome at the hotel.
“We wanted the pub to be for everyone,” Ms Davies said.
“It’s in the centre of town; we don’t rely on one demographic, we made sure if you’re one of 101 we catered for everyone.
“We wanted to make everyone feel welcome.
“I think it’s been great that people think anyone can visit.”
Upon arriving in Cobden the pair got busy leaving their mark on Thommo’s giving the historical hotel a revamp including renovating bathrooms, the dining room and adding in the much used backyard area.
Ms Davies said they have enjoyed getting to know the wider community.
“We’ve thrown ourselves into the community, we didn’t know anyone when we come,” she said.
“We sponsored anybody and everybody.
“I think we will hopefully be missed.”
June 1 is the final day for the couple, with a hand over period of three weeks with Ms Davies daughter Georgia staying on to lead the staff while the hotel settles.
Ms Davies thanked the wider community for its support.
“We want to thank the community for supporting us,” she said.
“We really do love the pub – we’ve lived and worked here 24/7.”