Early in 1952, publican John Mortimer Hayes lodged in Wollongong Licensing Court an application to transfer a licence for a hotel yet to be built at Fairy Meadow.

John Hayes died in April 1952 and the following month a new application was lodged by Reginald James Dennis. The transfer of the liquor licence was from the Avenue Hotel at Coonamble. The original hotel, a two-storey weatherboard building, was considered a landmark in the district. The hotel burnt down in 1941 and from then until 1952 trade was carried on from temporary premises.

Read more tales from the Illawarra

Present in the licensing court at Wollongong in May 1952 were the licensee Reginald James Dennis and hoteliers Charles Otto Hercules and William Stanley Waterhouse. Plans were to build a hotel at Fairy Meadow between Elliotts Road and Daisy Street.

The Waterhouses displayed plans for a two-storey, 20-bedroom hotel with an attached winter garden. It was explained that the foundation of the building would be set so that an additional storey could be added at a later date if warranted. Septic tanks would be installed as well as an area for patrons to park their vehicles. The licence transfer was granted in July 1952.

In August 1952, the proposed plans were placed before the council’s central zone committee. The committee reached a deadlock and the plans were referred to a full council meeting for a decision. After much discussion, it was suggested by the council that if the Waterhouses agreed to undertake to set the front of the premises back 15feet from the roadway the project may go ahead. The council sent the matter back to the zone committee in September 1952, which considered that a 35-foot setback from the road would be better than 15feet. 

Charles Otto Hercules Waterhouse did not live to see the new hotel completed, as he passed away in August 1954, aged just 39.

It is not known when the building works started, but by November 1955 tenders were called for plastering the interior of the building. The hotel was completed in April 1956 at a cost of £200,000 and was named the Hotel Charles after the brother Charles, who died just two years earlier. John Knight Waterhouse’s wife, Gwen, was the first licensee when the hotel opened for business.

In the early days, the Waterhouse brothers William Stanley (Bill) and John Knight (Jack) were very 

hands-on with the hotel businesses. The brothers and their families would spend weekends at the Fairy Meadow establishment. As a young child, I would be the weekend guest of the Waterhouse children. I always looked forward to weekends at the hotel, even though we were not permitted downstairs during trading hours. My first taste of television came from my visits at weekends as this hotel was the first hotel to install television in September 1956.

In the early days, the hotel consisted of a public and a saloon bar, a dining room and a smaller lounge with a bottle shop. The cellar stairs led down from the main office. Late in 1959, plans were submitted for an extension to the premises. The extensions proposed for the northern side of the premises consisted of a large lounge, a beer garden and a new bottle shop.

In July 1964, the Hotel Charles at Fairy Meadow and the Open Hearth at Port Kembla were the top sellers of beer in country hotels. The hotel and bookmaking business were run by William and John after their brother Charles died in 1954. As trustees of his estate, William and John still managed the bookmaking and hotel business as late as 1982. Charles’ widow and four children were successful in seeking an injunction in the Equity Court for the estate and associated companies to be audited.

Information courtesy of Carol Herben OAM.  Call 0409 832 854. or email sycado6@bigpond.net.au

Wollongong Advertiser