A former Australian child star who appeared on one of the country's biggest TV shows of the '80s and '90s has started a new life as a Sydney bar owner.
Sarah Monahan, 49, who appeared as Jennifer Kelly in the hit Aussie sitcom Hey Dad..! from 1987 to 1993, is now the proud owner of the Honey Rider Bar in Neutral Bay.
Monahan told nine.com.au she's thrilled to start her new adventure, which comes two years after she returned to Australia after more than 20 years in the US.
"It just felt like time," Monahan said. "Robert was gone, he got sent back to England and I was coming home for trips, and it just felt good again."
'Robert' is of course Robert Hughes, who played her on-air dad Martin Kelly in the show that made her a household name.
In 2010, Monahan accused Hughes of abusing her on set in claims which aired on Nine's A Current Affair.
Hughes was arrested in London on August 9, 2012, and extradited to Australia.
In April 2014, he was found guilty of 10 counts of indecent and sexual assault of four victims in the '80s and '90s.
He was jailed for a maximum of 10 years but released on parole in 2022, having served eight years, and was immediately deported to the UK.
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Manahan later became an ambassador for a sexual assault advocacy group, Bravehearts.
She now works with Blue Knot Foundation, which helps adults recovering from complex trauma, and is a sought-after public speaker on women's safety and survivor empowerment.
While her time on the show holds many terrible memories, there are also happy ones, and she is happy for fans to approach her for a chat.
"There was good stuff," she said.
"This is a happy, safe place now and we can all move on and show that we don't have to linger in that spot forever.
"Now I am just happy to be me."
Monahan now lives in Sydney's North Shore, across the road from her brother.
Her cousins were among those who showed up for Sunday's official reopening of the bar on what happened to be her 49th birthday.
She had spent the past month learning the ropes, including how to clean out the keg lines, from the hotel's previous owner, but already had decades of hospitality experience.
"As someone once said to me, most people go from waitressing to acting and you went the other way," she laughed.
"Because it's what every actor does, they work in restaurants. So from 16 I was in kitchens or behind the bar... so I have done that for years and years."
In between, she helped her US-born husband Matt run an IT company, and even had a stint in the military.
They had toyed with the idea of running their own hotel in the past but it never eventuated.
Then earlier this year, she found out the bar she walked past on the way to work each day was for sale.
They thought about putting in an offer for about a month before deciding to go ahead, with Matt buying the hotel for her.
After flying in for her birthday and opening, he has now jetted back to the US, where he has a fulltime job, and will continue to fly back and forth for now.
While he is away, Monahan will be busy with her new venture.
First up will be a lick of paint and a revamp, as well as a brand new menu of bar snacks. Tuesdays will become "Texas Tuesday" while Wednesdays will be "Wings Day".
The bar's back room will become a creative space where Monahan can film her YouTube channel and do audition tapes. She will also rent out the space to others.
"I looked at this and thought this is the perfect creative space. It won't be a $500-an-hour podcast studio... but it will be a place [where you can] come in, film your stuff and do your thing here and it will be a creative space for all the local artists."
And perhaps most importantly it will be dog-friendly. Monahan is the proud owner of Teddy, her assistance dog, who helps control her PTSD symptoms.
She also hopes fans of her TV show come in and say 'hello'. She has already taken a selfie with a fan just this week.
Sydney-born Monahan was just six when she was plucked from obscurity to play the role of Jennifer Kelly in Hey Dad..!.
She filmed 227 episodes of the show before leaving one year before the show ended its run.
She had previously appeared in eight episodes of the Aussie soap Sons and Daughters and in 1995 appeared in three episodes of Home and Away.
In concluding our interview, Monahan also gave a message for other survivors of abuse.
"You can be happy again, no matter what, you can find the joy in life again, you just need to look for it."
And it looks like Monahan found it in her little bar in Sydney's North Shore.
The actress took to Facebook this week to announce she was the new owner of the venue, which is located at 230 Military Road in Neutral Bay.
"Hey everyone, I'm Sarah Monahan, the new owner of Honey Rider Bar," she began the post.
"Rest assured, we're not changing much... and we don't see a reason to change a good thing. We'll be doing some painting, a little redecorating, and soon there will be a new cocktail and food menu.
"We will be swapping out the karaoke area into a new creative space for people to use during the daytime. Podcast, YouTube, Self Tape, UGC studio. We'll make it a usable space for people to record in, or if you're here at 4pm, a place to do your Zoom calls while pretending you're still in an office somewhere.
"We're not closing down, so the changes will be gradual, but we're excited to add some life back into the building. Come in, bring your dog, and say Hi!"
The post has been welcomed by locals, many of whom said they were excited there would be a dog-friendly venue, while others offered their congratulations to the former child star.
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