Jodi Ramsay, and her octogenarian dad, Barrie Ramsay, took over ownership of the hotel in June this year.
They closed the premises, known as The Rustic Country 1878 Hotel, for a few weeks to prepare for the reopening on July 23 under its new name, The West Oxford Hotel.
Jodi persuaded her dad, who is 82, and lives in Timaru where she was born, to come out of retirement to join her in the venture. It has been an unexpected life change for both father and daughter.
‘‘Dad had only been retired for less than a year after more than 50 years at the freezing works,’’ Jodi said.
Barrie is a keen gardener and was also a professional fisherman at one time with his own boat, but has no previous experience in the hotel trade.
‘‘I have had experience sitting at a bar but never expected to work behind the bar as a barman,’’ he said.
He has kept his home in Timaru and commutes to Oxford regularly spending a week or so helping out at the pub, where he and Jodi live, before heading back to his home for a few days to tend to his garden. Jodi’s only experience of the hotel trade was ‘‘on the other side of the bar’’.
She is a travel agent by trade but also has hospitality experience working as a banquet waitress in Ireland. However, for the past 12 years she has been living in Perth, working in the mining industry.
She managed several large-scale events while there, but is pleased to be back home in New Zealand. Jodi and Barrie are grateful for the support ‘‘the locals’’ have given them in their new business venture. ‘‘They have really got behind us which is a big help,’’ Barrie says. ‘‘Our plans are to bring back the pub to Oxford,’’ Jodi says.
By SHELLEY TOPP
