April Fools’ Day is seven months away and Broadsheet is not The Betoota Advocate, so park your scepticism, dear readers. That headline isn’t a gag: the trio that owns Hard Rubbish has decided to give the well-loved Preston boozer away to the most deserving applicant(s), with absolutely zero strings attached.

“We were looking at selling it and we could have got a bit of money for it – nothing outrageous – but we just thought, ‘Why don’t we pay it forward a bit?’” says Charlotte Tizzard, who started Hard Rubbish with her brother James Tizzard and sister-in-law Katie Smith. “It’s not how we’re taught to be about business. It’s always about growing and making a profit.”

Now, six and half years after opening, the owners have four young kids between them. Katie and James also work full time in other jobs, and Charlotte has opened another business: Reservoir’s K’nochen. It’s all got a bit difficult.

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“The bar has really grown and changed a lot. It’s got a younger crowd than when we opened, which is fantastic, but it feels like now the owners need to better reflect the customers,” she tells Broadsheet.

“We want to pass on an opportunity to some younger, energetic people who might not have the money to buy a business, because, you know, who does? We didn’t. We each scraped together $10,000 and opened it on that. My brother built everything in there and then we worked as many shifts as we could when it opened.”

On a purpose-built website, givingawayhardo.com.au, the trio answers obvious questions such as: “IS THIS A TRAP??? Are you riddled with debt? Fleeing the country?” (no, no and no) and state their reasonable conditions for gifting: “We pay [our staff] award rates and super and we want you to, too.” (There are currently three staff on the payroll.)

There’s also, of course, how to apply. It’s via email. “That proposal can take any form you like. Written form. A song. A cartoon. Some interpretive dance. So long as it clearly demonstrates why you think we should give you our bar and what your vision is for the place in the future.”

The group has received a handful of inquiries and one application ahead of the October 15 deadline. “I’m getting the feeling that we’re gonna get quite a few more,” Charlotte laughs.