End of era for Peel, Club 80

The Peel, recently the subject of much controversy over its policy of selectively excluding women and heterosexuals, changed hands at the end of June.

The new owners are Even Par Pty Ltd, a family-owned investment company with interests in hotels and taxis.

The change is not expected to affect the running of the hotel, as the current licensee, Tom McFeely, still has over a year of his lease to run.

The former owner, Bill Saunders, has also sold the well-known sex-on-site venue Club 80. That sale is scheduled to be completed in August. The new owner is said to be ‘a well-known Melbourne architect’ who admires the architecture of the building. Club 80 would continue to run as it is.

Bill Saunders said he was very pleased that the future of the venue was secure.

“The staff there are sensational; it’s nice to see job security for them, and of course the fact that the patrons will have the facility for many years to come.”

The businesses have been for sale for some time, but health issues and the changes to superannuation persuaded Saunders it was time to sell.

“I’ve really enjoyed the last 26-odd years but there’s a time when you have to move on,” he said. “My brush with lung cancer last year really confirmed it was time to get out and enjoy what’s left of life.”

The sales mark the end of an era. Saunders acknowledged that it was time to pass the torch to a new generation.

“I’m 63 now and the average age of my patrons is probably around 30-odd,” he said.

“My life has changed dramatically as I’ve got older, and in a sense you lose touch with your patrons. It’s time to pass [the venues] on to younger people.”

Saunders isn’t abandoning Northside: he retains ownership of The Laird, which recently changed management, but won’t be involved in the day-to-day business, ‘apart from an occasional drink at the bar’.

From Melbourne’s BNews.