The $11.5 million Bundaberg Rum 'Raising the Bar' initiative has deployed safety equipment to licensed premises around the country.

Prince of Wales licensee, Rowena Ellis, expressed her "appreciation" for the package that provided hand sanitiser, face masks, gloves, and thermometers. Because not only do these items add up to a significant additional financial cost, they were also in high demand as businesses scrambled to tick all of the necessary boxes to re-open.

Rowena said that while working within the COVID guidelines does present challenges they're worth undertaking. And the efforts of those involved hasn't gone unnoticed.

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"It's difficult to manage all of the rules and regulations, but we appreciate being open at the same time - and we'd rather be doing that than being closed," she said.

"Every time that there's a change it does take some adjusting from the staff and customers, but they're doing a good job. And our customers do appreciate coming into a venue that's abiding by the rules and doing the right thing to keep everyone safe."

She added that when they were closed during the height of pandemic restrictions, the role that venues play as social entities was brought home.

"When everyone was in lockdown and you couldn't go out and have dinner, people really missed it," she said. "And pubs are an important meeting place, you don't just go there to drink, people come here to meet, get out of their house, and come here for all kinds of reasons - they're like a little hub of the community."

Angus McPherson, managing director at Bundaberg Rum's parent company Diageo Australia, said "we're delighted by the response the Raising The Bar initiative has had". As they look to help "ease the ongoing financial burden for venues who now have to regularly purchase costly safety equipment and supplies".

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