Hall of Fame Inductee: Beryl Elefsen

HONOURING THE LIFE’S WORK OF BERYL ELEFSEN

As the photos in this story show – and as Peter Hurley emphasised at the awards ceremony– Beryl Elefsen has “done it all” since her first job in a hotel at the age of 14.

Beryl recalls buying the Minnipa Hotel for 10,000 pounds “on April Fool’s Day 1965”.

“I can’t believe I deserve this but it’s good,” she said. “Thank you very, very much.

“I’ve loved my life in hotels, in which I’ve spent most of it working.

“I loved it and I still love it.”

Beryl was unable to attend the awards ceremony, but long-time friend and former AHA|SA President, Peter Hurley AO, gave a stirring speech that gave an insight into Beryl’s achievements:

I had the pleasure of meeting Beryl and Doug Elefsen on day two of my tenure at Wudinna Hotel in July 1975.

They came in for a butcher of beer, introduced themselves, and extended the hand of friendship.

It is a friendship that has endured the 46 years and 2 months from that date.

Their Minnipa pub is 20 miles further west on the Eyre Highway and it was my nearest neighbour pub.

My brother Brian and his wife Robyn bought into the lease of the Wudinna pub in early 1978 and they too became very close friends of the Elefsens.

Beryl told me over the table at a Beef Steak & Burgundy Dinner at Minnipa Hotel in 1976 that she started her working life as a 14-year-old at Wudinna Hotel, after which she got a job at the Minnipa Hotel as a 19-year-old.

She has been there for the 70-plus years since.

Doug and Beryl purchased the freehold of the Minnipa on April Fools Day, 1965 for the massive sum of 10,000 pounds.

Yes pounds!

Few in this room would lay claim to having purchased their pub in the currency of the mother country.

In 1965 I was a bank clerk earning 10 pounds a week, so I guess it’s all relative.

Since that April Fools Day, Beryl has literally done it all.

She has cooked the meals. She has carried the plates to the dining room. She was the Function Manager.

She was Head Housekeeper. She made the beds. She cleaned the toilets.

She headed up the laundry.She scrubbed the floors.

She was head office girl. Made up the wages. Paid the accounts. Did the ordering.

She counted the tills and did the banking.

And she covered the bars during Doug’s frequent absences.

On the topic of Doug’s absences, I recall that one morning “Chessy” the barman came in looking a bit scruffy so Doug decided he needed a haircut.

He went to the kitchen and asked Beryl to keep an eye on the bar while he took Chessy for a haircut.

They didn’t arrive back to the pub till about 6 pm.

Beryl enquired why it took all day as Wudinna, where she assumed they had gone, is only 20 miles down the Eyre Highway.

“Oh no,” said Doug. “I flew him to Alec in Leigh Street in Adelaide for the haircut.”

Doug was often absent as he was the AHA|SA Council representative for the Eyre Peninsula for around 25 years.

He always flew himself to Adelaide in his Piper Cherokee for the Council meetings, having learnt to fly in the RAAF during WW2.

On one memorable occasion he suggested my brother Brian fly to Adelaide with him for an AHA|SA meeting.

It seemed like a good idea. Beryl minding her pub. Robyn looking after the Wudinna pub and the two kids.

Flying over on Monday afternoon and returning Tuesday afternoon was the flight plan.

Then came a phone call to both wives on the Tuesday afternoon: “Bad weather in Adelaide. We will be home Wednesday morning.”

Anther phone call on Wednesday: “Weather still dirty. We will be home Thursday.”

Anther phone call Thursday morning. You can work out the message

Robyn headed up to the Minnipa airstrip on the Friday afternoon and the Cherokee appeared out of the clouds.

Doug brought Beryl home a pot plant to make up for the week of double shifts.

Before closing, I congratulate Lucy Randall, David Basheer and Ian Horne on the decision to place a Women in Hotels Hall of Fame Honour Board, to hang beside the Life Member Honour Board in the Council Board Room.

This is a rare, but not unique feat as they join Kaye and Peter Brien, Judy and Greg Fahey, Trish and Kerry Moore, and a couple of Hurleys.

Now Beryl’s name will be alongside Doug’s name on the Life Member Board.

Beryl’s son Ricky and his wife manage the Minnipa now but Doug and Beryl are very regular visitors.

Beryl Elefsen is one of the most enduring women of influence in our industry.

Ladies, I invite you to applaud the worthy induction into the AHA Women in Hotels Hall of Fame, of Beryl Elefsen.