Sally-Ann Donnelly is quite happy about the five-year restraint of trade she has from owning another pub in Ōamaru. It means she won’t get any “bright ideas”, she says.

After “eighteen years, three months and four days” owning Fat Sally’s Pub and Restaurant, Sally-Ann happily handed the keys over on Monday, to Tyler Burgess and Kristin Murdoch, who have moved to town from Twizel.

“It’s really exciting that such a cool, young, energetic couple are keen to take the reins and go forward really.”

First on Sally-Ann’s to-do list now, is “take a breather” and she will head to Otematata with her family for Christmas.

Going into next year, her two other businesses - homewares store Housekeepers Design, and her catering business, which she operates from the Loan and Merc building, will continue to occupy her time.

She said the best part of owning a pub, was the people she had met.

“It’s been cool to be a part of town, be involved in a lot of things, you know. It’s been fun.

“We’ve met some epic people. Oamaru’s a flippin’ cool community really, a real cool community.”

A definite highlight for Sally-Ann was helping to raise money for others - something her name has become synonymous with. 

She was the main driver behind two hugely successful Portside Punch boxing events, which raised hundreds of thousands of dollars towards North Otago Hospice, and cancer charities.

“Aside from that - just some of the other stuff we’ve done for smaller community groups,” she said.

“The lowlight is watching the town change as far as gangs, and watching drugs grow in town, and really, become your competition. I think that needs to be said.”

Running a pub for close to two decades means she has learnt a lot about people.

“When you add alcohol to a situation, it can bring out the best in people, and also the worst. But we’ve been lucky, dramas have been few and far between.”

The arrival of the Covid pandemic in 2020 brought with it some challenges - the biggest was dealing with the unknown.

“We thought we were going to be shut down for two weeks, and she (Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern) shut us down for four, and really, for restaurants, I think the pub was seven weeks shut.

“We were really grateful for the community support when we opened.”

Covid also prompted her to close the doors for good on waterfront restaurant Portside, a decision she has no regrets about.

Her advice to the new owners of Fat Sally’s was to “be prepared for sore feet every day for the first year”.

“I’d say to anyone taking on any business, just worry about what you, not what anyone else, is doing. Just do you.”

She felt a sense of relief at being able to step away from the pub after all this time, and was “so grateful” Tyler and Kristin had come along.

“I need to thank the community for their amazing support over the last 18 years, three months and four days.”