"It's really important for me to look after our locals first, and offer something for them, which will have a flow-on effect for the rest of WA," says Deb Hallyburton, who has just opened Hally's bar, a dream she says has been in the works for three years.
Originally from Carnarvon, Ms Hallyburton has lived in Busselton for the past 25 years, many of those years she spent with her husband Brad before he sadly passed away after battling a brain tumour.
"Brad was born and bred here," Ms Hallyburton said.
"When my husband was sick, we had such a huge amount of support from the community, always, and that has continued with the cafe and now with the bar."
We wanted to provide an upmarket venue in central Busselton, so you don't have to drive far for good food and drinks.
- Deb Hallyburton
Ms Hallyburton is no stranger to the restaurant industry, with her cafe 'The Good Egg' and kiosk cafe 'The Little Egg' being local favourites for a nice lunch or coffee break.
"I lost my husband five years ago and we opened the cafe a year after he passed away.
"I had worked in hospitality years ago, but it was a tribute to Brad more than anything."
The name 'The Good Egg' was also inspired by her husband, who always called people 'good eggs'.
After a successful few years at the cafe, Ms Hallyburton decided to work on her passion project, a beautiful, family-friendly winery/brewery-style bar with all of the trimmings.
"I've been working on it in the background for the last three years, and finally at the end of last year we started the building process.
"I could see what was missing in Busselton and what gaps needed to be filled.
"We wanted to provide an upmarket venue in central Busselton, so you don't have to drive far for good food and drinks."
With Hally's bar's renovations finally finished, with a vast outdoor area and fully stocked taps, Ms Hallyburton held a VIP event on Thursday, October 21, ahead of the public opening on Friday.
"We had a VIP night on Thursday with lots of people who gave a lot of positive feedback.
"Then we were hit hard on Friday, Saturday and Sunday," she laughed.
Ms Hallyburton said that it was an emotional experience seeing her work come to fruition.
"To see the doors finally open was emotional.
"People loved it, they said it was a great atmosphere and vibe."
A highlight of the business, Ms Hallyburton said, was her staff - a team of dedicated workers who are experienced in customer service.
"Our staff are beautiful, we have lots of really friendly faces and great service."
Ms Hallyburton added that the future of the bar was exciting, with their live entertainment, which will take place every weekend, beginning this weekend.
"We have a lot of things booked coming up for the bar.
"It's going to be amazing."
Samantha Ferguson
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
