Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
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The Tardis Nightclub back in the 80s Photos supplied
It’s party time and you’re invited…
On Friday 15th May The Airlie Beach Hotel will be celebrating it’s 58th birthday with an epic show from Absolutely 80s Super Group, a band comprised of four Australian icons from the 80s: Scott Carne (Kids in the Kitchen), Brian Mannix (Uncanny X-Men), Ally Fowler (Chantoozies) and Wilbur Wilde (Jo Jo Zep/Ol’55).
To commemorate the hotel’s origins, the venue is going back in time to the 80s, the days in which it was famed for it’s nightclub - ‘The Tardis’. A LED light up dancefloor will be bringing back that same dance fever.
The Airlie Beach Hotel has been a staple of Airlie’s night life for almost 6 decades, with many of the original crowds still spotted at the bar, reminiscing fondly about the pub’s early days.
Founding member/President of the local R.A.G Club and former Airlie Beach Hotel barman Ashley Wayne Kennedy had much to say about the early days of the iconic venue.
“When I worked [at ABH] in 1979 the road to Shute Harbour had only just been sealed, the fundraising for the area had only just started,” Ashley said.
The R.A.G Club, also known as the ‘rough as guts’ crew, were a social club founded by Ashley back in the 80s.
“By 1980 a boom had started in town with the development of Hamilton Island. Fundraising exploded. The area went from a small contingent of boats to hundred over a couple of years.”
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Syd Anderson -- an original attendee whose photo features on the wall – also looked back on the early days with a great fondness.
“It’s all a blur really. The town was a lot smaller than it is now. Everybody knew each other. It was a tight-knit community,” he said.
“Its still a great place to be.”
The venue’s birthday festivities will run over the entire weekend with additional performances from Absolutely 80s’ Scott Carne and Brian Mannix in their iconic BACK2BACK Show. This show will feature chart-topping hits in homage to Australia’s most iconic frontmen. It is a high-octane spectacle filled with the biggest 80s hits, performed by the stars of the time.
Dress in your best 80s outfit for the chance to win prizes, and get ready for birthday cake, fun, games and celebration all night long. Air guitar and lip sync will be offering further prizes.
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