Political correctness ain't particularly welcome at Adaminaby's Snow Goose Hotel.
It's the kind of pub where you'll find relics from the days of the six o'clock swill: a sign bolted to the red-brick exterior proclaims "husband day care centre", while inside, a poster shows a bare-buttocked woman reeling a fishing line – captioned "hooked".
More National News Videos
- Video duration
- 01:21
PM slaps down Abbott
PM slaps down Abbott
Malcolm Turnbull has rebuffed criticism from former PM Tony Abbott over the government's negotiating tactics to get legislation through the Senate. Courtesy ABC News 24.
Up Next
Ben Cormack being arrested
- Video duration
- 01:22
- Video duration
- 01:22
Ben Cormack being arrested
Ben Cormack being arrested
NSW Police have released this vision of the arrest of A Current Affair reporter Ben McCormack being arrested over a child porn allegation.
Up Next
Kids talk climate change
- Video duration
- 01:39
- Video duration
- 01:39
Kids talk climate change
Kids talk climate change
Students at Scots Grammar and the Kambala School don't think students learn enough about climate change.
Up Next
Remember the âworst-runâ census?
- Video duration
- 01:43
- Video duration
- 01:43
Remember the âworst-runâ census?
Remember the âworst-runâ census?
It spawned the hashtag #censusfail and now the 2016 Census has got to deliver the goods.
Up Next
Big business should back government policy: Treasurer
- Video duration
- 01:03
- Video duration
- 01:03
Big business should back government ...
Big business should back government policy: Treasurer
The "reputation issues" at the core of big business sentiment can be mitigated by their backing of government policy, says Treasurer Scott Morrison. (Vision courtesy ABC)
Up Next
New travel warnings for Anzac Day
- Video duration
- 01:19
- Video duration
- 01:19
New travel warnings for Anzac Day
New travel warnings for Anzac Day
New Australian travel advice has been issued by the Minister of Veterans affairs for anyone planning to travel to Gallipoli for Anzac Day Commemorations, after the Australian government received intel of potential terrorist actions targeting the event. Vision courtesy ABC News 24
Up Next
The minimum wage debate
- Video duration
- 01:44
- Video duration
- 01:44
The minimum wage debate
The minimum wage debate
Every year business, unions and politicians argue over the pay packets of lowly-paid workers - here's what the fight is all about.
Up Next
Search for jogger underway at Emu Plains
- Video duration
- 00:37
- Video duration
- 00:37
Search for jogger underway at Emu Plains
Search for jogger underway at Emu Plains
Police and volunteers search the route taken by missing jogger Rhys Sutton, 26, in the Emu Plains area.
PM slaps down Abbott
Malcolm Turnbull has rebuffed criticism from former PM Tony Abbott over the government's negotiating tactics to get legislation through the Senate. Courtesy ABC News 24.
Barman Bill Rivers admits he was forced to ditch some of the more risque pictures after female patrons complained. "There was one of a tit with a fly sitting on the nipple," he says. "That had to go."
As it happens, publican Andrew Smith is a big fan of Tony Abbott, who rode into the tiny town on Wednesday with a sizeable entourage of colleagues, mates and fellow athletes on day three of his annual Pollie Pedal.
"You didn't have this many followers when you were an MP," jokes one punter, perhaps forgetting Mr Abbott remains a humble backbencher.
"As prime minister I was always unpopular, but it's amazing how quickly people forget," the ex-PM replies, adding his trademark staccato laughter.
No more than a dot on the Snowy Mountains Highway between Talbingo and Cooma, Adaminaby has seen its fair share of statesmen (and women) over the years, including John Howard, Quentin Bryce and even Kevin Rudd.
Despite stratospheric popularity during his first stint as PM, Mr Rudd wasn't exactly a hero in Adaminaby, according to local retiree Bill Faulkner.
"This is very much Liberal country down here and people threatened him that if he ever came into the pub he'd get a punch in the nose," he recalls. "Anyway, he came into the bar and there were half a dozen people here and they all wanted to shake his hand."
But Mr Rudd failed one crucial test of country kinship – he failed to shout a round, despite the inclination of his wife Therese Rein.
"She said, 'Go on Kevin, buy a round of drinks' and the publican said, 'oh no, that's not necessary, we'd rather you didn't'," Mr Faulkner recalls.
There were no such difficulties for Mr Abbott on Wednesday, who poured schooners of Great Northern and a jug of VB for the gathered imbibers. When cheekily challenged to produce his Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) certificate, Mr Abbott professed to have "an ISA – irresponsible service of alcohol".
But it's not all fun and games in Adaminaby, especially where men's mental health is concerned. Mick Parent, a 49-year-old who was medically discharged from the army two years ago with PTSD, spoke of the tough time he's having managing his child support payments, dealing with government agencies and making friends in the area.
"We'll just clam up and go into a defensive position and fight our way out," he says of his fellow veterans. "We gravitate toward our own because it's familiar, it's comfortable, we know what to expect from each other."
It's the sort of problem 30-year-old Andrew Brayshaw hopes to ameliorate at his Adaminaby Community Shed, which opened on Sunday. It's one of the few places in town men and women can go to socialise - other than the Snow Goose, of course.
"In rural communities, mental health is a big issue, especially among the men," he says. "It's not something we really talk about. Having a shed up there gives everyone a place to be open."