Rich River Golf Club Excellence in Hospitality Award - Bar Lee

By Emily Donohoe

Nov 1, 2024

Rich River Golf Club’s Deanne Armstrong with Bar Lee’s Skye Bolch, Cameron Sutton, Jenny Sutton, Jessica Moorhouse, Ryan Moorhouse and Oakley Kerr. Photo by Aidan Briggs

Opening mere days before a global pandemic, Bar Lee has pushed through the trials and tribulations, taking out the Rich River Golf Club Excellence in Hospitality Award.

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Co-owners Jess Godfrey, Ryan Moorhouse and Jenny and Cameron Sutton did not expect to win, but were honoured to take out the top gong.

“I think we’re a bit surprised, and proud,” Ms Godfrey said.

“You want to be like, ‘yeah, we’re going to win’, but then you see everyone else and you think, ‘oh no, maybe we won’t’.”

Since being named as a finalist, the Bar Lee crew has looked back at the past three and a half years in business, facing unprecedented challenges head on.

The business opened on February 4, 2021, eight days out from a Victoria-wide lockdown. Then in October 2022, floods rocked the region.

Despite their first year marred by on-and-off lockdowns and the second by floods, they have been able to provide quality food and locally crafted drinks.

“We came in at the worst possible time to ever open a hospitality business,” Ms Godfrey said.

“To overcome ... COVID, floods, that’s the win,” Mr Sutton said.

The team was proud to see success, particularly in a region with a competitive and strong hospitality scene.

“The other finalists are massive,” Mr Moorhouse said.

“They all do such an amazing job, so it’s really nice to be recognised,” Mrs Sutton said.

EXCELLENCE IN HOSPITALITY

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