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| Blue Silk, after a swim in the cold Hawkesbury River at Bowral Waters in 1967, shown here checking to see if everything is still in working order while anxious (at the time) girl friend Erin looks on. |
Blue Silk
Like most of us, Blue didn’t continue with the trade he learnt in the RAAF, instead he chose to pursue the vocation he learnt so well at the ASCO canteen at Richmond. Anyone who was at Richmond during the mid to late 60’s will instantly recall the scene where you ordered a ham burger or a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich from "Dell" and then watched through the little service window, as Blue expertly put it all together. He became so good at knocking up the odd "Welsh Rarebit" that when he finally snatched it he decided to toss away the mega and instead get into the food and hospitality industry.
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| Blue Silk today-pictured at "Silks Brasserie" in the Blue Mountains. |
Blue doesn’t run the kitchen any longer, instead he’s recruited several of the top chefs from down in Sydney, and coaxed them up to the mountains.
Not content with one first class establishment to run, Blue and Erin bought the Welcome Hotel in Roselle in 1998, and their eldest son Damien was conscripted into running and revamping the old hotel. Blue says there is no truth in the rumour that the Welcome is modelled on the old Airman’s boozer at Richmond where he spent many an hour doling out middies, Bacardi cokes and the odd Pimms to the faithful, though for us there seems to be some suspicious similarities. It does have a beer garden, same as the boozer, and it has a public bar and a saloon bar-the boozer had a bloke’s and a blokette’s side, and it also has a games room-you be the judge. (The Fitz perhaps)
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Story has it that back in the late 1870’s, a young bloke named Tom and his foxhound named Winston left London for NSW, but became separated when they arrived at the busy docks in Sydney. Winston roamed around Sydney looking for a feed, and a place to call home, and upon hearing the merriment coming from the pub in Evans St, decided to give it a try. The publican at the time welcomed him, and that supposedly is how the hotel got its name. |
We recently read an excellent article on the Brasserie in the Volvo Magazine which is a magazine sent to owners of Volvo cars, and we thought "Oh no-it can’t be!!!" They must have got it wrong. We had instant mind images of a yellow 244 with two white hats on the back sill, parked in front of the Leura Bowls Club, but thankfully, we were wrong.
The blue Healey might have gone, but it has been replaced with a couple of the smarter Volvos-a black S70 and a black sporty S40 T4.
If ever you are up in the Blue Mountains, Blue and Erin would love to see you-why not call in. They’re open for lunch from noon to 3.30 pm then again from 6-11.30 pm-7 days a week. And remember, you’re always welcome at the Welcome!!
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