It’s every mother’s dream to be a role model their daughter can look up to, to create a life that inspires, and to build a legacy she can pass on to her children. For hospitality queen Helen Moyle and her daughter Kim Starkey, that’s exactly what happened…
From humble beginnings in a Newcastle butcher shop, Helen Moyle and her husband Alan built a hospitality empire that spanned almost 40 years and included ownership of some of the Hunter’s most iconic pubs. Along the way they also found time to raise a family – Kim and her brother Michael.
For Kim, being the daughter of a working mum and local publican meant since the age of two she spent her childhood growing up in pubs. She remembers it as an experience most kids would envy.
“One of the pubs Mum and Dad owned was one block from school so I used to walk home at lunchtime for whatever was on the pub menu, sometimes lamb cutlets if I was lucky, then I’d grab a chocolate from the bottle shop on my way back to school,” Kim said.
“Living onsite meant we also got to play the pinballs and video games whenever we wanted. It was a pretty good way to spend your childhood.”
There were some downsides though according to Kim, including having to attend six different primary schools as her parents bought, sold, and built what would become a remarkable legacy.
“I did get to stay at a single high school, that was the deal and my parents made sure that happened one way or another,” Kim said.
“Looking back, I understand what they were trying to achieve, and the truth is, when it comes to female role models, I’ve never had to look farther than Mum when it comes to work and financial success.
“She showed me the value of working hard and the importance of balancing family and business.”
“Looking back, I understand what they were trying to achieve, and the truth is, when it comes to female role models, I’ve never had to look farther than Mum when it comes to work and financial success. “She showed me the value of working hard and the importance of balancing family and business...”
Having worked alongside Alan at every pub in their vast stable, including the Chelmsford Hotel at Kurri, the Australian Hotel at Young, the Gunyah Hotel at Belmont, the Iron Horse Inn at Cardiff, the Stag & Hunter Hotel Mayfield, the Royal Federal Hotel at Branxton, Ettalong Hotel on the Central Coast and numerous other venues, at one time or another Helen played a role in almost every aspect of running a pub from managing the bar, balancing the books and everything in between.
“It was 1976 and I was 26 when we took our first hotel lease, The Chelmsford Hotel at Kurri,” Helen said.
“Kim was two years old and I didn’t even know what a shandy was when we started out.
“In terms of employment, with the exception of the publican, it was almost exclusively women working in pubs. But back then the bar staff were older, married women who took on second jobs to help out in the hours after their husbands came home from work.
“Socially though, there was still a lady’s parlour with a half bar window in those days and the women would ring a bell to order their crème sherry or other drink. Men were not allowed in unless accompanied by a lady, but at the Chelmsford we worked to instead create a modern, mixed crowd environment by introducing music and sports teams, including a lady’s darts team.