Last drinks: Carol Negline retires after 17 years of running the Post Office Hotel in Moree

The 77-year-old had her final day as the Post Office Hotel's licensee on July 13, ending a 17-year era for the popular pub.

Carol and her late husband Grahame bought the PO in 2003 after selling their insurance business.

At the time, the idea of owning a pub wasn't all that appealing to Carol, however after Grahame passed away just two years later, she was left to run it all by herself.

"He came home one day and said 'there's a pub for sale', and I went, 'oh no'," Carol laughed.

"I'd hardly been inside pubs. But he was involved in rugby and wanted to stay in Moree after we'd sold our little business.

"So we bought the pub in 2003 and he died in 2005.

"I thought, 'I can do this, I can run a pub'.

"I think women are capable of a lot. We just get on with it and do what's got to be done. Whatever you do, you've just got to put your head down and do it.

"Getting on with things helped [cope with Grahame's death] too. You don't think about it."

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And get on with it she did.

Carol ran a very successful pub for 17 years, and was a well-known 'legend' at the PO, doing everything from serving drinks behind the bar, working in the bottleshop and in the office.

"I did everything," she said.

"Except I didn't drive the forklift.

"I had my turn in the bar, but the bottleshop was my favourite - seeing people coming and going and watching the products go.

"The office had to be done too, though I didn't mind that. I could have been there full-time, there was so much to do."

Carol said she couldn't have done it without the support of her "wonderful" family, who all pitched in at various times over the years to help her.

"Quite a few of my grandchildren have had a turn there," she said.

Seventeen years of running a pub has, undoubtedly, produced many wonderful memories for Carol. She said she particularly has fond memories of the various parties the pub has hosted.

"We had some great times," she said.

"When I was throwing out things before I left, I found all the photos of the parties we had. We did some wonderful parties - Halloween, Christmas, the photos of the snow party looked great.

"I loved it when people came in and played music. We encouraged people to come in who were starting out. We had some lovely Sunday afternoon sessions - people playing music and children running around. It's a shame we couldn't have more of it."

The people she met and those that she served on a regular basis were the best part about running the pub, Carol said.

"I certainly have met some characters," she said.

"Although there were always some I had to kick out; some people just can't help it.

"But I loved to see everyone having a good time and having fun.

"I'll certainly miss the people."

She will also miss the PO's chicken schnitzels, or "schnitties".

The PO held a farewell for Carol back in March (she was going to settle in April but when pubs were shutdown during COVID-19, this was pushed back), with friends, family and colleagues gathering to say goodbye.

Jac Drenkhahn played music during the afternoon and Carol said there was "plenty of champagne" and iceblocks for the children.

"It was a lovely afternoon," she said.

Since handing over the pub, Carol has now moved down to the south coast to be with her family, and plans to spend her retirement moving around between them.

Although she doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon.

"You can't sit around doing nothing," she said.

"You've got to be doing something. Walking's a great thing. I've been going on some big long walks since I've been down here."

In saying goodbye to the PO and Moree recently, Carol said she had mixed emotions.

"As always when you move on, there are good, exciting things to look forward to and sad things to leave behind," she said.

"I'm sad to look back, but I do want to leave. I'm looking forward to just being with my family.

"But I'll miss Moree and the people."