Margret, Alan et al,

As I remember it, there was Reata in the City (Little Bourke St) quickly followed by Little Reata in High St Malvern. Both were active in the early 60's. Reata gradually became more of a restaurant but Little Reata became the home of Paul Marks, Martyn Wyndham-Reid and Brian Mooney. A fire intervened sometime in the 60's and Little Reata was eventually reopened as The Green Man under the benign supervision of Tom Mill. But the magic of the early days had gone.

Interestingly, it resurfaced 12-15 years later when Andrew Pattison opened The Troubadour in Bowan Crescent (later relocated to Brunswick St) & provided a Melbourne venue to Eric Bogle in his early days. I still remember his rueful comments after Malcolm Frazer lost the election in the early 80's "I'm glad the bastards gone but sad I've just lost half of my repertoire". I guess that is a problem he doesn't have these days.

Ironically, The Troudadour also succombed to fire in 1989 and now survives as a treasured memory (& a good out of town weekend festival at Campaspe Downs each November).

Cheers

Dave