Barry Ashlen Rohde
1951–Living
Born: 1951 · Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Family
- Father
- Iles Bertrol Robert Rohde
- Mother
- Nancy Frances Mary Lowe
- Spouse
- Jennifer Yates
- Children
- Luke Rohde
Biography
Son of Iles Bertrol Robert “Bob” Rohde and Nancy Frances Mary Lowe. Grew up at the family shop/home in the former Johnson’s Reef Hotel on Eaglehawk Road, California Gully/Bendigo. A Bendigo Advertiser gallery shows Barry at the northern side of the shop with Misty the cat in about 1964, in front of a Coke sign around 1966, and his VW Kombi in front of the shop around 1970. The article says Barry used the cellar for band practice and was a drummer.
Sources & Records
Bendigo Advertiser: Memories of a gold rush icon
Wendy Williams, “Memories of a gold rush icon”, Bendigo Advertiser, 20 Dec 2013; captured 1 Jun 2026
Strong secondary newspaper/local-history source with first-person family recollections and captioned gallery images.
- The Rohde family owned the former Johnson’s Reef Hotel from 1960.
- Bob/Iles Rohde was a baker, installed an oven in the former barber shop, cooked pies, and ran a pie shop.
- The family also ran a mixed business and later a newsagency from the building.
- The mixed business stopped making money after a supermarket opened.
- The former hotel was also the Rohde family home, where Mike, Barry, Peter and Barbara grew up.
- Barbara Zysvelt worked in the shop with Nancy/Nance from 1960 until 1981; Nancy is remembered as a popular listener in the shop.
- Barry used the cellar for band practice; the cellar door had a Jimi Hendrix mural.
Photos
Research Notes
Barry Rohde appears in Bendigo Advertiser gallery captions at the shop in about 1964, in front of a Coke sign around 1966, and with his VW Kombi in front of the shop around 1970; article says he used the cellar for band practice.