Country pub closures often sound death knell for small towns in regional Australia

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The Little Desert Hotel was very much the cornerstone of Kiata in far western Victoria. Now the taps are dry, the once bustling bar silent. So ends the life of an old country pub. The boarded doors and windows often signify something else. When last drinks are called at a town's only pub, it can be a body blow for the community. Sometimes it's the final blow. The Little Desert Hotel on the Western Highway in the small community of Kiata is now closed. ( ABC Wimmera: Andrew Kelso ) "I think the loss of the pub would be the...