Nothing is more important than family for Canley Vale hotelier Vicki Webster- who was appointed along with seven other NSW hoteliers and industry representatives as a delegate to the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) NSW Council on Tuesday, 4 April 2023.
Webster took on the role after the passing of her brother Phil Webster who was an AHA NSW stalwart as delegate for the local area, as well as an AHA NSW board member for twenty years.
“For my brother and I, our industry experience started in 1976 when our parents bought their first pub, The Union Hotel at Newtown,” she said.
“We were there for five years before they purchased Richards on the Park at Canley Vale in 1982 where I still am today.” For the past fifteen years, she and brother Phil operated the hotel as a team and following his recent passing Vicki felt she also wanted to contribute to the Association.
“The AHA NSW has always supported all of its members and I would like to pay it forward by supporting the hard work they do,” she said.
“Our industry is always well represented by the AHA NSW and I am proud to now be a part of that.” Vicki Webster said she is passionate about the provision of safe and friendly local pubs and hopes to bring all she has learned from both her family and own experiences to the role.
“AHA NSW delegates play an extremely important role in our industry by representing their sub-branches and providing valuable insight into the issues faced by hotel operators across many different areas of the state,” AHA NSW President Scott Leach, a close friend of the Webster family, said.
“Together, their collective voice provides an in-depth understanding of the state’s hospitality landscape. I congratulate Ms Webster on joining the AHA NSW Council in the role her brother filled so well for so many years.”
In her role, Webster plans to focus on highlighting the importance of good customer service and the value of relationship building.
“I think there’s a lot of value in ensuring our industry retains the relationships and camaraderie that always existed between publicans and staff with local patrons,” she said.
“We’ve always had family-run pubs and that’s how we treat our patrons – like family. I’d like to make sure our industry continues to focus on that kind of service and holds community relationships in high regard rather than operating solely as profit and loss focused businesses.”
MEDIA CONTACT: Nikki Taylor – 0447 956 170 | [email protected]
Read more . . .