Nat Presutto

Mr. Nat Presutto originally hailed from Richmond until he moved to Yarra Glen in 2008. Nat has been in hospitality for about 14 years. During these years he has worked at a broad spectrum of establishments such as the Grand Hyatt Melbourne all the way to the Terminus Hotel Abbotsford, speaking of which, this is where Nat met Fred and Ali. Nat ran the Terminus for Fred and Ali when children and acting took over their lives so this relationship blossomed, so hence here we all are!

On a personal note Nat's love is Rallying, and being of Italian descent, car racing is coursing through his veins. Nat competes in the Victorian State Championship and some rounds of the Australian Rally Championship. Nat drives a Subaru which he somehow finds some time to do, but says he does not do this enough!

Alison Whyte

Alison Whyte is a Melbourne based Tassie-born actor. She lives in the Yarra Valley with her husband, three children, two dogs and eight chickens.

Whyte graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts before rising to prominence on Australian television for her role as the moralising producer Emma Ward on /Frontlne,/ the ABC's parody of current affairs programs - a role for which she won a silver logie for the peer voted Outstanding actress. In 2007, she played Lauren, the housewife-turned-prostitute on Satisfaction. She won the 2008 silver Logie Award for Most Outstanding Female Actress for this role. Her other prominent TV roles have included the legal comedy-drama Marshall Law 2002, and Good Guys Bad Guys.

She has also worked extensively in theatre for MTC, STC, SATC and Malthouse. In 2008, she appeared in a production of David Williamson's play "Don's Party" at the Sydney Opera House, for which she was nominated for a Helpman Award. She has received two Green Room awards for best female actor in a lead role, in 1996 for Decadence and again 2005 for Dinner.

From 1995 to 2007 Whyte and her husband Fred Whitlock ran the Terminus Hotel in Abbotsford,Melbourne. Their pub was noted for being community focussed and not having gaming machines. Now owned by the couple, is the Yarra Glen Grand Hotel, in Victoria. Whyte has also visited Vietnam and Cambodia as a spokesperson for Oxfam.

Fred Whitlock

Fred has been described by some who know him as the Accidental Businessman. He started life in New Zealand, and came out to Australia in the early eighties with the New Zealand Army and trained at the Royal Military College Duntroon for three years. He still holds the 100 days to go Pewter skulling record. 2 ½ litres of a noxious brew ( ½ spirits ½ beer), to be drunk as quickly as possible while standing astride a tennis umpires chair in a brass fireman's hat. 19.75 seconds. The previous record of 27 seconds was set in the mid sixties. Don't try that behaviour in Fred's pub or you'll very quickly be shown the door.

While at Duntroon he met the legendary Ron Haddrick, a veteran actor working as artist in residence with the English literature department. A new fire was lit in young Fred's belly. He founded the Angry Young Men. A subversive theatre group that undermined military discipline. Soon after his resignation was accepted by the NZ Army.

Fred then went to the Uni of NSW where he threw himself into Uni theatre doing over twenty five productions in two years and somehow managing to complete his BA. He got no Austudy so supported himself through work with Peter Rowland Catering and Sydney Harbour Bridge Toll Collecting.

He then scraped into the Victorian College of the Arts studying Acting where he continued to be a thorn in the side of authority figures, administration and long suffering voice teachers. A absolute vision; usually dressed in combat boots, red ninja pants , a child's Sesame street blouse, horn rimmed glasses, Greek fishermen's cap and long bleached permed hair. While there he worked at the Last Laugh Theatre Restaurant and night auditing and room service at the old St Kilda Rd Travelodge.VCA however, was to be the turning point in Fred's rebellious life. He met the beautiful flame haired Alison Whyte. Who had completely disregarded him while being dressed as a New Romantic Punk Hippy freak. When he had a haircut, lost the glasses and started wearing flannel shirts, 501s and RM Williams boots and started flattering Alison's fine acting work and her delectable derrière, she finally took notice of him. They moved in together immediately. That was 1989. 20 years later he is still madly in love with her and they have three beautiful children and a beautiful, if somewhat charred house in the Yarra Valley.

For six years after graduating Fred worked only as an actor. A lifestyle of feast and famine. A rollercoaster of high profile and complete anonymity. He worked on many fine shows, with many fine directors, yet still retained his prickly nature of not suffering fools. Not a good attitude when a young actor, who truly are the lowest on the foodchain. It finally came to a head when he had artistic differences with a director at the Queensland Theatre Company. He was sacked by the inexperienced and moronic Jackie McKimmie and if he ever sees her on a pedestrian crossing he will accelerate.

This started a quest for more control over his destiny. Fred did a small business course with New Start while on the dole. Bought a rundown, absolutely rooted business with three years left on the lease, the now iconic shabby chic Terminus Hotel in Abbotsford. He had three pubs on the go with partners at one stage. The legendary, artsy, queer and alternative 44 in the city. And the Union Club Hotel in Fitzroy.

One day while on the treadmill at the gym alongside Alison he was discussing work and noticed the heart rate on the monitor went up by 50 beats whenever he got onto work. That was when Fred decided to downsize and to start moving out of small business.

But small business is an addiction. He sold the Terminus and was heading back to the arts full time when the Grand Hotel in Yarra Glen came on the market. He swore you'd be a wood duck to touch it. It was shockingly underperforming and even more shockingly overpriced. But it was beautiful. Fred's retirement from the pub game lasted two weeks.