Kirkstall stalwart Julie Houlihan named Moyne Shire Citizen of the Year 2022

Aside from running the Kirkstall Hotel with her husband Tony for nearly 29 years, Ms Houlihan has sat on countless committees over the years, including as secretary of the Koroit Truck Show, Koroit Agricultural Society, the South West Horse Trials and Wannon Zone of Pony Club.

"I guess you could say I'm not averse to sticking my nose into different things," Ms Houlihan said.

She said while she had always been happy to roll up her sleeves and help out, her drive had always come from wanting to run things well.

"I remember many years ago, turning up to a meeting of a particular committee and asking a question and they didn't know the answer.

"Well, I thought, I'd better go and find out myself, so I got on the committee and found out."

And it should come as no surprise that she has improved everything she has stuck her nose into.

The Koroit Truck Show started out as a small sideshow to help raise funds for the agricultural society.

Eleven years later it has built up substantial horsepower, becoming an essential part of the annual events calendar in Koroit, raising vital funds for community groups across the region.

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But Ms Houlihan said her involvement in pony club had been the most rewarding of her volunteer roles, particularly because it had personal resonance for her.

"I went through pony club when I was young, so for me it was a matter of continuation, keeping those things going so they remain what they were when I was a kid," she said.

Ms Houlihan was secretary of the Wannon Zone of Pony Club from 2007 to 2018 and has just resumed the role.

She is also a member of the chief instructors panel for the organisation.

"Pony club stands out for me because you can watch the kids develop and improve over the years," Ms Houlihan said.

She is also on the committee of management for the Hexham Equestrian Centre, and a past member of the Macarthur and Warrnambool Pony Club committees and the Victorian Horse Show committee.

But many locals will know her most fondly for providing a cold beer on a hot afternoon at the Kirkstall Hotel for the better part of three decades.

"Tony managed the Yambuk Hotel for nine years, then we sold that, took a few months off, and then came in here to Kirkstall," Ms Houlihan said.

With her husband she has turned the humble establishment into a community hub, popular with visitors and crucial for a loyal band of committed locals.

The options on tap are simple: Carlton Draught or Great Northern.

Asked whether anyone ever requested craft beer, Ms Houlihan shook her head.

"Occasionally you get someone come in and ask for a Corona, but you can always tell they've drifted in from Melbourne," she said.

"We don't have Corona."

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