Two sailors buy Surry Hills' bar Soultrap

Have you heard the one about the two sailors who walked into the Sydney bar? They bought it, of course. After Travis Goddard and Elliot Cryer – both currently serving in the Royal Australian Navy – take part in Anzac Day this Thursday, they'll keep marching all the way to Soultrap, their sideline Surry Hills bar.

Goddard explains when he and Cryer were looking for an investment, they decided what better way to moonlight outside their day jobs than to own a bar. They caught wind that small bar pioneer Christophe Lehoux was looking to sell Soultrap, so they snapped it up. The duo has brought a little bit of naval discipline to the business, swamping employees with checklists and manuals right down to closing and locking up.

"We had to get approval [from commanding officers] to buy it and change our security clearance," Goddard says. After long periods at sea, Goddard is currently in a land-based position so he can keep an eye on his investment. On Anzac Day Soultrap's doors will open at 10am, the two-up will start and the room will no doubt fill with servicemen and women.

A marine technician, Goddard could probably fix Soultrap's fridge if it went on the blink on Thursday. "It's a sailor's dream to own a bar," he says.