Melbourne venue identity Andy Portokallis passes

Popular Melbourne venue operator Andy Portokallis (pictured) has passed after a battle with throat cancer.

He was director of the company Seventh Tipple.

He was most recently co-owner of Bar Open since 1999 and was at the heart of the city’s live music scene as co-owner, with Jon Perring, of The Tote, Pony, Yah Yah’s the Marquis of Lorne, and the Melbourne Spanish Club.

He was in the middle of the public battle in 2010 when The Tote, one of the most significant venues of the city, which had to close after a change of legislation made it a “high risk venue”.

He was one of the public faces of the campaign to save venues, and explain to the media what music lovers putting on music for other music lovers had to battle against.

When The Tote announced it was closing, over 5000 people turned up for last drinks.

Portokallis sent 70 kegs of beer from Bar Open so the previous owners could cope while the landmark SLAM rally was being organised for 20,000 to march through the streets of Melbourne calling for a change of legislation.

Later Portokallis, Perring and Sam Crupi took over the running of the Tote.

Yesterday when Perring and Crupi announced his passing on the Tote’s Facebook, they remembered a man who was a friend to all, and “was a passionate lover of life. People, music, sport, culture. All of it.”

He loved his custom cars, pool, soccer the Collingwood football club and rock music.

They added, recalling the run-ins with building inspectors, bureaucrats and landlords, “ As a business partner, he was courageous and fearless.”

They summed up: “We will miss Fitzroy's oldest and most mischievous teenager.”