Eventually in 1940 or thereabouts, Mick Sullivan Jnr and his sister, Mary took over the running of the establishment which gained hotel status in the 1950s upon obtaining a liquor licence. These were “hands-on” years rather than later years when staff would be employed to do much of the everyday work. The hotel used its own herds for meat menus, establishing a butchery for this purpose. In the absence of a ready supply of fish, fresh water eel given a French name appeared on the menu. The family’s farm and households also supplied eggs, butter, poultry and most of the vegetables. Female staff from outside the community attracted the attention of young local men with more than one eventually marrying the descendants of the first settlers. In 1951, the hotel was extended to increase the number of bedrooms and also modernised. Both the hotel, and Mick Sullivan’s home, later gained a ‘C’ classification under the Historic Places Trust.
Mary Sullivan, who’d married Doug Kerr, in turn became known as Auntie Mary to the general public after she’d been running the hotel for some years, and her fame spread far and wide. Doug Kerr established the garage at Fox Glacier. James McNeish wrote about Mary in his book, Tavern in the Town. Joint management of the hotel by two dominant personalities - brother and sister - wasn’t easy according to Mick Sullivan, particularly as he also had farming commitments. In an interview with me in 1993, Mick said his brother Jack’s share in the hotel was eventually taken over by Mary.
Mick Jnr, deciding it was time for a change, purchased the Westland Hotel in Hokitika in 1965, which he ran for ten years before moving back to Fox Glacier. In earlier times this historic hotel had been known as Keller’s, originally opened in 1867 and continuing into the early 1900s. Mick served as Chairman of the Westland County Council for ten years, like his father before him, and helped establish Fox Glacier’s independent water supply. He eventually retired to live in Hokitika. In his younger years he and his brother Jim worked as guides on the Fox Glacier. Mick had learned his skills under the tutelage of Franz Barta, a skilled Austrian guide.
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