Thomas Mortimore arrived in Collingwood from Devonshire about 1894 and quickly found work doing labouring jobs of all kinds. Like many new arrivals to the district, he was prepared to work hard to establish a future for himself.
In September 1897 Thomas married Susan Brewer, daughter of Thomas Brewer, in Nelson. The newly-married couple returned to their home, Terrington, at Rockville. Thomas had recently purchased the property from S Woodfield, who was leaving the district. Together Thomas and Susan worked tirelessly to build a good life.
Their son, Henry Thomas Alfred, was born in 1900. Sadness followed the next year when another child died only hours after birth.
A major change came in October 1904 when Thomas sold his farm and stock and took over the licence of the Collingwood Hotel from John Pinkerton, although John retained ownership of the building. The new venture almost ended before it had properly begun. Within a fortnight of Thomas taking possession, the disastrous Collingwood fire of 1904 swept through much of the township and destroyed the hotel.
Thomas’s losses were made worse by the fact that during the early stages of the blaze he, Susan and the hotel staff had been helping other residents save their belongings, believing the fire would not reach the premises.
Despite the devastation, the Mortimores refused to be defeated. They quickly established a temporary structure, little more than a tin shack, so business could continue while plans for a new hotel were organised.
Rebuilding began promptly. An architect visited the site to prepare plans and specifications, and contractor S Galbraith won the tender for the new building at a cost of about £1,400. The replacement hotel, planned with 20 rooms, was erected on the corner of Tasman and William streets and completed by August 1905.
The new Collingwood Hotel was considered one of the township’s finest buildings, featuring large airy bedrooms, a bathroom, billiard rooms and stabling facilities. Thomas and Susan soon earned a reputation as kind and hospitable hosts, well known for their generosity and charitable acts within the community.
At some stage Thomas purchased the hotel outright and became heavily involved in township life, supporting sporting teams and hosting local functions and gatherings.
In mid-1910 Thomas leased the hotel to Alfred Lulham of Puponga for a term of four years. Thomas and Susan intended to take a well-earned holiday to England, and before their departure many friends gathered at the hotel to farewell the couple, a clear sign of the esteem in which they were held. Alfred immediately announced plans for extensive improvements to the premises.
Although Thomas initially intended to return to the Collingwood Hotel in early 1911, he changed his plans and instead became licensee of the Royal Hotel in Nelson. He and Susan eventually made their trip to England, returning to New Zealand in 1915.
Meanwhile, in June 1911, while Alfred was still publican, a fire broke out upstairs in the hotel, causing about £300 worth of damage. Alfred later transferred the licence to Fred Tyree in early 1913.
In August 1915 Thomas returned once more as publican of the Collingwood Hotel. Despite maintaining a generally good reputation as a hotelkeeper, he faced legal trouble at the end of 1916 when charged with three counts of selling liquor at unauthorised premises, mainly at Puponga. He was fined £10 on the first charge and £1 on the second, while the third charge was dismissed. Police sought forfeiture of his hotel licence, but the application was unsuccessful.
Thomas remained at the hotel until February 1920 when the licence was transferred to Michael Doyle, although Thomas still retained ownership of the property. Over the following years several publicans came and went. In July 1929 the licence briefly transferred back to Thomas before he passed it on a few months later to Sedrick Brame.
About 1929 Thomas and Susan left the district and settled in Hamilton. Thomas died there in 1948, while Susan lived until 1968.
