Ruby’s Mount Kembla announced it was shutting its doors, but just hours later the land owners changed their minds. Photo: Ruby’s Mount Kembla.
A beloved Mount Kembla restaurant and wedding venue which was on the brink of being evicted has been given a temporary lifeline, after land owners backed down in the face of community outrage.
Ruby’s Mount Kembla owner and head chef Scott Woods had a whirlwind 24 hours. On Thursday night (28 August) he shared on social media the heartbreaking news that the venue was being forced to shut its doors after lease negotiations with nearby land and Denodrobium mine owner GM3 broke down.
“We tried to negotiate [the rent], getting closer to the amount that they wanted but every time I gave an offer they said it still wasn’t good enough,” Scott said.
“The thing is I actually did agree to their terms of them doubling my rent and their annual increases – I agreed to everything.
“It was after the fact that they had given me the termination notice, but I still agreed and it was still a no.”
Scott turned to social media to share the devastating news that after almost 40 years of operation, September 30 would be Ruby’s last day, despite weddings being booked more than a year in advance.
It sparked a massive community response with hundreds commenting on their own experiences at weddings dating back decades, fond memories of events and people shattered that their special day may not go ahead.
Many vowed to write to ministers, council and GM3, pleading for the decision to be overturned.
Early on Friday afternoon in a response to questions from Region Illawarra, GM3 announced it had indeed backed down.
“We recognise that this decision has had a significant impact on the community and future customers of the restaurant and in view of this we have decided to suspend the decision at the current time,” a GM3 spokesperson said.
“We look forward to continuing our discussions with Mr Woods.”
Scott said it was an “amazing outcome” and gave his team a brief reprieve for which he was extremely grateful.
“I am just very thankful to everyone in the community for getting behind us and rallying their support and messages, emails, phone calls – just very, very amazing,” he said.
“It was great news and I feel like I can breathe a little.”
The venue has long been a community favourite, built from the ground up by well-known Illawarra couple Jim and Deborah McCallum.
“We bought it as a general store post office with the intention of turning it into a tea shop, we’re both musicians and we needed to augment our income, so that’s how it began,” Deborah said.
“We lived there with our children for nine years, raised them in the restaurant, so it’s very much been a family business for 40 years.”
It took four years for Jim and Deborah to renovate before they could open the doors.
“We always felt like we were having friends for dinner and it never changed,” Deborah said.
“It was always Jim and I on the floor or in the kitchen and they just loved that recognition – then people would bring their daughters back for their wedding or the christening of their grandchildren and it becomes a cyclical business.”
And for Scott, it was where he fell in love with food.
“I came here as a kitchenhand when I was still at school,” he said. “There was some chefs in the kitchen that were handing me these little snacks here and there and it just opened my eyes to cooking and I thought I’m going to become a chef.”
It was where he did his apprenticeship before exploring other venues, finally returning then taking over the reins in 2008.
“I’ve always been drawn back to here,” Scott said.
“I owe a lot to Jim and Deborah, they taught me a lot and passed this beautiful establishment over to me and I am forever grateful for that.”
Jim and Deborah among the first people Scott turned to with the news the business was set to close.
“I treat him like a second son,” Jim said.
“He’s always rung me from wherever he is in the world, he’s always stayed in touch and tells me his highs and lows.
“To hear the anguish in his voice when he said ‘you’re not going to believe this’, it really gutted me.”
And while it seems that Ruby’s is safe for now, long-term lease negotiations have not been not finalised.
“The word ‘suspended’ just leaves it open to a date down the line where this can just happen again,” Scott said.
“We need security as a business as well so we can get these future bookings and know we have this work to look forward to.”
To stay up to date and show support to Ruby’s visit the Facebook or Instagram pages or book through the website.
