In Far North Queensland, the name 'Rusty's' immediately brings to mind the famous weekend markets, established in 1975 by Rusty himself.
Rusty Rees owned the complex of old buildings between Grafton and Sheridan Streets which once comprised the infamous local Chinatown, notorious for gambling, prostitution and sly grog dens, much of the site now taken up by Gilligan's Hostel and Bar. In a disused dance hall, he stored the cars he sold as the local British Motor Corporation dealer, another old building housed a motorcycle shop, another a boating dealership, and on the corner of Sheridan and Spence stood the old hotel known universally as Rusty's Pub, though officially named the Commercial, and now renamed The Jack.
Approached in the 1970's by local hippies wanting to hold a market, Rusty agreed to dedicate some vacant land in his complex to that purpose, thereby returning the land to its historic use, that very same land having housed Chinese produce markets for decades from the 1880's. Over 40 years later, Rusty's eponymous markets remain as popular as ever, albeit on a much grander scale than in either the 1880's or 1970's.
Renowned for his support of community initatives, Rusty enjoyed immense popularity in the town for backing ventures like Ruth's Women's Shelter, donating a premise in his complex …show more content…
He offered a room upstairs in his pub, even painting it pink to signify gay 'ownership' of the space, a defiant gesture at a time when pink meant gay, and most men avoided the colour in all and every circumstance. When the gay community began to hold regular Saturday dances, they held those in The Pink Room and on the adjoining veranda, until increasing patronage saw the dances outgrow that space and in 1985 the dances moved downstairs to the lounge bar and beer garden where they continued until
Rusty Rees owned the complex of old buildings between Grafton and Sheridan Streets which once comprised the infamous local Chinatown, notorious for gambling, prostitution and sly grog dens, much of the site now taken up by Gilligan's Hostel and Bar. In a disused dance hall, he stored the cars he sold as the local British Motor Corporation dealer, another old building housed a motorcycle shop, another a boating dealership, and on the corner of Sheridan and Spence stood the old hotel known universally as Rusty's Pub, though officially named the Commercial, and now renamed The Jack.
Approached in the 1970's by local hippies wanting to hold a market, Rusty agreed to dedicate some vacant land in his complex to that purpose, thereby returning the land to its historic use, that very same land having housed Chinese produce markets for decades from the 1880's. Over 40 years later, Rusty's eponymous markets remain as popular as ever, albeit on a much grander scale than in either the 1880's or 1970's.
Renowned for his support of community initatives, Rusty enjoyed immense popularity in the town for backing ventures like Ruth's Women's Shelter, donating a premise in his complex …show more content…
He offered a room upstairs in his pub, even painting it pink to signify gay 'ownership' of the space, a defiant gesture at a time when pink meant gay, and most men avoided the colour in all and every circumstance. When the gay community began to hold regular Saturday dances, they held those in The Pink Room and on the adjoining veranda, until increasing patronage saw the dances outgrow that space and in 1985 the dances moved downstairs to the lounge bar and beer garden where they continued until