I live in a small town (2000-ish people) in regional Western Australia, where my hubby is the Supermarket Manager of the local Co-operative (yep, we still have one). 9.30 Tuesday night, I'd just fed and settled my baby and, being addicted to my computer (well the net more to the point), I was sitting in bed with my lap-top. Hubby had just come out the shower when I suddenly smelt something burning. It was only slight and my first thought was my beloved laptop. We both sniffed it a bit and were happy enough that it wasn't about to blow up... BUT the smell was getting stronger in the air.
Then we thought about our oldest sons, who (because the air-con had broken down) had an old fan spinning in their hot room. We both dashed there but thank God that wasn't on fire. So Craig popped his head outside and shouted 'I think it's coming from the co-op.' He jumped in the car and screeched down the road. We don't live far away (neither does my mum) so I asked her to watch the boys and then I ran down the street in my pjs. I arrived about the same time as the local volunteer fire brigade to watch (along with half the town, also in pjs) my hubby's pride and joy (he loves retail) and our livlihood going up in smoke!!
See pics below - nothing was salvageable and now Craig is busy planning for a new store. Thank God for insurance!
The Burning Building...
The Aftermath...
Despite this absolute disaster for our town (many people have losts jobs and the local hub is no longer), the whole community has come together to look after each other. In the middle of the night, local cafe owners opened their kitchens to provide for the volunteers. My hubby sent his Wednesday delivery to the OTHER supermarket to service the town and trust me, this is something that would NEVER happen between major chains in the city. Other businesses are offering jobs to co-op staff who'll be out of work until the new store is built.
It's been absolutely heart-warming to see all this community spirit! I can now see why small town settings are so special in Romance novels!!
