If she could work at the Union Bank for the rest of her days, Emily Maun would do it in a heartbeat.
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One of Orange's highest-rated dining hubs today, the UB venue manager has been with the restaurant since its most-recent birth.
From its first days in 2019 before COVID shut it all down, exactly six months to the day.
But the 31-year-old hospitality leader, originally from the United Kingdom, is now moving on to explore more of the country after finally securing permanent residency in Oz.
"It's been brilliant, but you can't go onto the next chapter without turning the page, so it's just one of those things in life where it's time to take that next step and start a new adventure," she said.
"So, the hardest part of it all will be leaving the UB team and the venue itself because, God, I love that place.
"I wouldn't be going anywhere else, otherwise. I'd be there to the grave."
'That little slice of home'
The Leeds-born kid from Yorkshire finished high school and continued working for a restaurant she'd been with from the age of 15.
It was here where she found a love for the world of hospitality, going on to complete an apprenticeship in the industry and climbing the ranks from there.
She'd wind up leading teams of 20 for a company catering events for up to 1000 people each gig.
After wanting "a new adventure" around 25 years old, Ms Maun eventually arrived in Sydney on a working holiday visa.
Part of her second-year visa conditions included 88 days of regional work, which would lead her to the Central West.
"I lived with a really beautiful family just outside of Orange doing farm work and I just really fell in love with the area," she said.
"I'd always been right into food and wine as well, so it all just fell into place at the time.
"The four definite seasons here are also really similar to UK weather, so it just gave me that little slice of home at the same time."
'She made some of the tough times really manageable'
Which was a tricky balance for Ms Maun starting out, who said being "10-and-a-half thousand miles" from her family in the UK was difficult at first.
But that yearning for close connections came in other forms after landing the UB job, filling the ancestral void with those on the work team.
It was a time when the venue's head chef and manager, Dom Aboud and Sarah Crowley, pulled the crew in even closer.
"That was really cemented during COVID, because the uncertainty of the pandemic without knowing when I was going to see my family next, that was a difficult mix," she said.
"That's why Dom and Sarah and other colleagues quickly became like extended family to me, because we became determined to stick it out and come back stronger and stronger after each lock down.
"But I think that connection just happens in hospitality, because the nature of the industry can be so challenging, so you tend to form these quick and strong bonds to get through it all together."
We became determined to stick it out and come back stronger and stronger after each lock down.
- The Union Bank's departing venue manager, Emily Maun on challenges amid a pandemic.
Mr Aboud described Ms Maun's absence as one that would be felt across the culinary crew.
He said the best parts about the venue manager always came back to her humour-driven nature in a career where she clearly felt confident and in control.
"She's been through every bit of the journey with us over the last four-and-a-half years and we couldn't be more thankful for having her on the team this whole time, especially considering she's quite the comedian," he said.
"So, we're very sad to be losing Em, especially because she is our last one left from the opening team, but she's definitely served her time.
"She made some of the tough times really manageable."
Growth and survival through challenges
Reflecting on her time with the UB, Ms Maun says she "enjoyed the buzz" and felt comfortable in her decision-making role.
Feeling "like a leader" of sorts who relishes responsibility and being trusted, the venue manager is walking away with unforgettable memories and a gratitude she'll hold onto.
"It's been brilliant, and I've definitely grown there as a person with lots of those challenges that come with opening up a new venue," she said.
"We survived the pandemic and the re-openings, because we made it work with fresh ideas and a hunger to come back even better every time.
"I've truly enjoyed working with every single person."
Emily Gobourg
Em Gobourg is a Cabonne-based journo with the CWD. Outside of people and business yarns, she's usually wearing Tradie boots or found on a rugby paddock. Want to get in touch? Flick an email to emily.gobourg@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Em Gobourg is a Cabonne-based journo with the CWD. Outside of people and business yarns, she's usually wearing Tradie boots or found on a rugby paddock. Want to get in touch? Flick an email to emily.gobourg@austcommunitymedia.com.au
