Finbars legend to be all at sea
FIVE years, a hand-made pizza oven, weekly Irish music and his daughter's wedding later, John McCormack is leaving Finbars.
Finbars Lounge and Bar holds special memories for the Irishman who has called Maleny home for the past 20 years.
Local Kerry Woods is set to take over the manager's role, and Mr McCormack said if he wa to succeed he needed to work on his Irish accent.
"Kerry has been here longer than I have and he will put his own footprints on the bar," he said.
"The wood-fired pizzas will continue and he plans to keep the live music going; he just has to work on his accent."
Mr McCormack helped boost the business's profile by introducing Sunday afternoon live Irish music and wood-fired pizzas.
"I decided there was a need for a place people over 35 and seniors could go and have a drink," Mr McCormack said.
"We created this space and that demographic came and supported us."
The pizza story is almost legend.
"A core group of the guys wanted to be a part of Finbars.
"So I suggested building the wood-fired pizza oven and enlisted the help of tradies and friends and we built the oven ourselves outside the bar.
"It became quite a community project."
From this dedicated group of men, MAACA, or the Maleny Athletic and Cultural Association, was born and with Mr McCormack as their president, the guys would get together, have a drink, and work on a project for the community.
"I feel satisfied with what we have achieved here and I couldn't have done it without the assistance of a lot of people.
"It has become an integral part of the Maleny community.''
Next up is an open sea adventure. Mr McCormack has just completed a skipping course for sailing yachts and is keen to put his new skill into action.
JOIN THE FUN
WHERE: 12 Bicentenary Ln, Maleny
OPEN: Lunch Friday-Sunday 12-2pm, Dinner Thursday-Sunday 5.30-7.30pm
SERVES: Wood-fired pizzas and tasty tappas
