Phil vows to rebuild Diggers
Phillip Parnaby has promised to rebuild Diggers on the Darling which, along with the Bourke & District Memorial Hall, was destroyed by fire last week.
Mr Parnaby was in Darwin when he heard the news the building was ablaze and less than 24 hours later was on the road, driving home to Bourke.
A police investigation continues into the cause of the fire, but Mr Parnaby said his focus was now on rebuilding a business that for him was a labour of love.
And the Bourke community is right behind the effort to rebuild.
Phillip told 2WEB listeners on Monday that there had been an amazing outpouring of support for himself, his wife Anne-Marie, and his staff.
Diggers Manager for the past five years, Sangita Prajapati was one of the team that made Diggers such a welcoming and popular meeting place. Last Wednesday, she lost everything – her job, all her possessions and even her little dog.
She was lucky to escape with her life, but Sangita has been heartened by the compassion shown by the Bourke community.
“It’s been really devastating and it’s hard to recover from that,” Sangita said.
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