Junee Hotel publicans Brendon and Emma Reynolds are bringing back the good ol’ meet-n-greet to help locals find love, and it’s got national interest. Photo: Marguerite McKinnon.
Single women are signing up in droves for a Junee pub’s latest event and the organisers have a simple message for Riverina blokes: get off the apps, get off the couch and get to the pub.
This weekend, the Junee Hotel will throw open its doors for its inaugural “Single to Mingle Traffic Light Party”, with more than 130 tickets already sold and women outnumbering men by two to one.
The idea came to Junee Hotel owner Emma Reynolds after hearing the smash-hit song Where Is My Husband? by British singer-songwriter and producer Raye.
“I just heard that song and I love it; ‘Where the hell is my husband?’ and I thought, you know, he’s out there, but we don’t have to chase them,” Emma said.
“People are so much on their phones and dating apps now and women and men need to get back to basics,” she said.
“Men are at the pub, that’s where they’ve always been, talking with other men about their day.
“And you know what? We’ve got some good-looking roosters here, so let’s showcase that.”
For the uninitiated, a traffic light party sees guests given a wristband on arrival. Green means they’re single and ready to mingle, orange means it’s “complicated”, and red signals they’re taken.
Tickets are available across the age groups of 18-25, 25-40 and 40-60.
“Wingman” and “Wingwoman” tickets are also on sale for those cupids-in-training who want to help love find its mark.
Public interest in the event has gone gangbusters.
“As of last weekend the ad for the event had 660,000 views, and has had 1300 comments, and we’ve had interest from the Sunshine Coast, interstate, Victoria and across NSW,” Emma said.
When it comes to love, Emma and Brendon Reynolds know a thing or two about taking a chance.
The couple took over the pub three years ago and transformed it into a place for everything from 50th birthdays and family catch-ups to a quiet drink after work.
“We’ve had it three years in May now; so the first year, we took it over as a lease, and we did upstairs the accommodation, putting a lot of love and effort into it, and we thought, you know what, it’s got good bones, we need to bite, so we put our farm in Wagga against it, and bought it,” Emma said.
“It hadn’t been maintained for a fair number of years, so I’ve done everything from pipes through to walls being painted, replaced, everything. The bedding, the furniture, through to the bar, a brand-new beer system. It’s a labour of love, I suppose, or stupidity, but, yeah, it’s good.”
Unlike many other pubs, the Junee Hotel doesn’t have poker machines, and perhaps more surprisingly, patrons tend to put their phones away when they walk through the door.
“Everyone’s relaxed and talking, there’s nobody on their phone if you look around,” Emma said.
“Everybody talks to each other. The only time they’ll be on the phone is if they’re doing a Google or something like that.”
Single blokes, it’s time to get to the Junee Hotel! Image: Junee Hotel.
The atmosphere is relaxed, friendly and uncomplicated.
The beer garden has been spruced up, the food and drinks are highly rated, and the hard work has already been done.
Now Emma just needs more men to take the plunge.
“We have a two-to-one ratio of women to men so we are hoping the gents step up. You’ve got great odds at love. I’ve done a shout-out to tag your mate,” she said.
“We had a lady call, and she goes, ‘Oh, I’m 52. I’m a bit scared and nervous,’ and I just said, ‘Look, at the end of the day, you can always leave. The best thing is to get out of your comfort zone and come along. At worst, you can make a friend.'”
Whether attendees leave with a date, a new friend or just a good story, Emma believes meeting people face-to-face beats swiping on a screen.
The Single to Mingle Traffic Light Party takes place at the Junee Hotel from 5:30 pm on Saturday 27 June. To help Riverina locals find love, visit the Junee Pub Facebook Page.
Original Article published by Marguerite McKinnon on Region Riverina.
