Flinders Hotel Sold! Bears Move to a New Den

The Flinders Hotel will shut its doors as a gay venue under its current management following the October long weekend.

The venue’s soon to expire lessee, Sue Cameron, negotiated with a group of buyers who intend to shut the pub and conduct renovations.

The bar's manager has informed all the Bears and all the other girls nights that they work with about the developments, so that they can relocate, and some of the girls nights are taking a rest.

Harbour City Bears president Jonny Bastin confirmed the club would move its Friday Den Night to the Oxford Hotel. Bears on a Sunday will move to the Lord Roberts on Stanley St.

Sydney Bears Evolve Thanks to Grants Received

The new Harbour City Bears committee is pushing to modernise the club with help from a series of council grants.

Marrickville Council has given HCB a $1000 grant to upgrade its website, adding to the $3500 granted them by the City of Sydney to purchase laptops.

The City’s Cultural and Community Services Committee has further recommended the club for a $4000 grant to stage a Bear film festival during the club’s 15th anniversary celebrations next year.

“When the new committee came in, we realised t we needed to modernise the club, because the membership base for HCB has grown quite dramatically in the last couple of years,” Bears president Jonny Bastin said.

“We had to get rid of some of the old outmoded processes and support the club more professionally.”

An answer on the application for a film festival grant is likely to come in the coming weeks.

“It would be fantastic because the proposed Bear film festival is part of the 15th anniversary celebrations next year, it will be one weekend of those celebrations, which we’re hoping to hold at the Chauvel,” Bastin said.