Micheal Ward (Left).
On Friday, August 1st, the Boorowa Hotel played host to a rare and touching family reunion, one that bridged time and generations. Exactly 100 years and one day after a 14-year-old Harry Thomas Freeman arrived at the pub, horse and sulky in tow, his descendants gathered there to celebrate.
It was on August 1st 1925, the third day of a long journey from Parks to Hall, that Harry’s father, Thomas Walter Freeman, made a stop at the then “Top Pub” (as the Boorowa Hotel is affectionately known). He ordered his son a Reschs Happy Birthday beer to mark his 15th birthday. A simple gesture that has now, a century later, become a cherished moment of family and local history. “We were honoured to host the Freeman family for such a heartfelt milestone,” said Michael Ward, manager of the Boorowa Hotel.
“Moments like these remind us why historic pubs are more than bricks and mortar, they’re keepers of stories.” Michael, who has been managing the hotel for several years, reflected on its storied past: “The Boorowa Hotel, built in 1880 as the Royal Standard Hotel, has seen generations pass through its doors. It’s truly special to be part of events like this one that keep history alive and personal.”
The gathering also celebrated the Freeman family’s deep roots in the district. Ros Freeman’s great-great- grandfather, Thomas Marsh Sargent, bought their farmland along Hughstonia Road in the 1860s, paying just five shillings an acre. Today, the land holds memories of endurance, adaptation, and the quiet shaping of a rural legacy. As laughter, storytelling, and fare blended with the pub’s warm, historic atmosphere, it was clear this was more than a birthday; it was a tribute to a family’s passage through time, to continuity, and community. Michael reflected, “We’ve hosted hundreds of events, weddings, community gatherings, lunches, but this one was unique. It was history, living and breathing, right here in our bar. That connection to past and place, that’s what makes Boorowa truly feel like home.”
The Boorowa Hotel, with its iron-laced verandahs overlooking the main street and heritage buildings nearby, remains a beloved local landmark. As thousands of heritage-seekers pass through town walking the Shamrock Trail or visiting the Historical Museum, this century-old celebration reminds us all: our stories are worth telling, and sometimes, worth raising a glass to.
– Liam Stuart
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