When Leonard Bruin and Wouter Denig purchased the Hotham Ridge Vineyard and Winery in 2002 they would never have anticipated the level of bureaucratic hoops and red tape tangles they’d encounter with The Wandering Shire Council.
The couple have encountered such a level of resistance to the development of their business that they recently published a blog (6308wandering.blogspot.com.au) outlining the many years of permit approvals, inspections and authorisations for building and liquor licensing they have been through to keep their boutique winery operating.
The couple believe now that homophobia may have a significant role in their experience, Bruin comments,
‘Well people have been actually told, that they want us away, they want to get rid of us, they want us to go bankrupt and they don’t want us people there, we’re nothing but troublemakers, because we stand up for what we want and believe in.’
Bround and Denig note that creating a business in one of the state’s smallest municipalities has been challenging, they feel that the shire is very resistant to progress and don’t appreciate what their business brings to the region,
‘We’re doing restaurant, we’re not doing tavern food either, we’re a primary, secondary and tertiary industry in one, we’re marketeers, we export, it’s all things that are not being done, and accommodation is five star which is not traditional country accommodation.’
The CEO of the Wandering Shire Council was unavailable for comment.
