Strife between ANU, the Gods Cafe, and ANU Union continued in dramatic fashion on Monday, with threats of a forcible closure stopped by a last minute case withdrawal and ACT Supreme Court injunction.
In a letter to Gods director Jaye Min, ANU said it would block access to the shop, shut off water and power, and dispose of anything left inside if the café was not closed by the 3rd of July. In response Min said that ANU was “being aggressive” and repeated his claim that ANU had no right to terminate his lease. The university has maintained that it has the right to end a lease at any time if it has an alternative use for the site.
Hours later ANU dropped its case against Gods. Early Monday morning an injunction to stop works, made by the ANU Union, was successfully filed in the ACT Supreme Court. In a statement to the Observer Union representative Tom Lindenmayer said that “this matter could continue for some time”, and that while the issue is before the courts “we will continue to … operate as normal”. The Union appears to be seeking payout or other action on leases held by the ANU Bar and Pajenkas, which it has announced will remain open for the time being. A report in the Canberra Times estimated that each day of delay will cost the university $120,000. Min is seeking a payout of $650,000 to compensate for upgrades made to the café in recent years.
Signs in Union Court pronounced that it was “Businesses as usual” and rather optimistically predicted that the Gods will be open until November 2023. In the café servers were less hopeful, telling customers that “It’s crazy, I don’t know what’s going on. We’re just taking things day by day” and “It was going to be our last day on Sunday, and now it’s our last day today”.
Many patrons gladly took up the offer of free coffee in return for sharing a post about the closure, but supplies were running low with much of the menu out of stock by lunch. It is yet to be seen if the Gods will reopen its doors tomorrow, or how the redevelopment plans will be affected by the court’s decision.
As the café closed on Monday afternoon “Don’t Stop Believing” played over the speakers. While many at ANU would pay anything to roll the dice just one more time at Gods, it is clear that it will take more than a Journey anthem to keep the café going on and on.
