Images sourced: @The Big Rocking Horse
After storm damage threatened the permanent closure of the Big Rocking Horse’s cafe in Gumeracha, the South Australian community has rallied around the business. Though the cafe was initially set to close for good, locals have stepped up to help it recover, and there is now hope it will reopen soon.
Earlier this week, strong storms swept through South Australia, causing significant damage to the Big Rocking Horse property. The team announced on Facebook the extent of destruction led them to the tough decision of closing their beloved cafe.
“We have lost over $8,000 in stock and also multiple fridges & freezers that were all purchased brand new when we took over,” the post said.
“We have put every dollar we have into park upgrades, every cent of our savings and just don’t have the funds to replace lost stock and electrical items so have made the hardest decision to permanently close the cafe.”
But the community refused to let this beloved cafe disappear. In response to the closure, locals rallied around the Big Rocking Horse team, setting up a GoFundMe page and exploring other donation avenues. Thanks to this outpouring of support, the team is now optimistic that the cafe will reopen in the near future.
“We will try and re-open the cafe, I will save every spare cent and hopefully re-open within 6 months” the team has said.
Making the announcement that they would be back on their Facebook, after “a very hectic 48 hours”, Owner Mel said she wanted to share ‘straight from the horses mouth’.
“Our decision to close the cafe wasn’t made lightly as the animal park had several trees down and an aviary crushed (no animals injured thankfully) fences damaged etc so our focus and budget is going to that first and foremost,” the post said.
“Running this iconic park for the last year has been done by strict and strategic budgeting to enable the upgrades and improvements and we will continue to do that.
“Spending over $10,000 on re-stocking the cafe is just not something I can do immediately as the powerboard, which is very old, also needs upgrading and was quoted at $13,000 which we have been saving for and is still on our ‘to do’ list.
“At this stage we are contemplating opening the cafe within 6 months or leasing it out to someone who can take it on ASAP and keep it going.
“We have asked people not to do Gofundme pages because, although we appreciate the generosity and willingness to help, Gofundme take a decent percentage and there are truly people that are worser off than us.
“If you want to support the park, visit us and play a round of MiniGolf or visit our animals and climb the horse and have a look at our wooden toys, they definitely are made right here in South Australia by local makers and some are assembled in the toy factory. We do also have souvenirs that are made overseas as well as Australian made items.
“We have accepted some generous fundraising that will take place this weekend and over the next weeks and will use every dollar donated to put towards upgrading the powerboard as a priority.
“We have 16 casual employees in the cafe that hopefully will have a job, either way we decide to go.
“We didn’t take the natural disaster & product loss insurance as it was quoted at $46,000 per year, we went through a broker who searched their best rate & that was the cheapest so we chose not to take that cover and use $26,000 of it upgrading the access ramp and decking to the gift shop and animal park, and that was money better spent and I stand by that decision.
“A lot of people have said we should have had genterators or battery back up etc; We had a quote for solar batteries and that was $84,000 – Generators to run the whole cafe alone was just not viable.
“We added the MiniGolf to help towards more upgrades and love seeing many people enjoying a fun game.
“What I really want to say is, thank you. Thank you for the support and thank you for the understanding.
“We are still open 9am -5pm – 7 days a week and will never close the whole park, EVER!
“My passion is seeing people make memories, life is precious and we never know how long we have here so make everyday count! I am always happy to answer questions directly, openly and honestly. I am not after money, sympathy or handouts, just be kind.”
Over the past two days, Gumeracha saw multiple fallen trees and damages to infrastructure, and the property of The Big Rocking Horse was not avoided by the storm. On Monday, the team reported major damage across their property and animal park, but have reassured everyone that all their wildlife are safe and sound.
“We have had some major damage within the park with 5 trees down but all animals have been checked and are safe,” the Big Rocking Horse said.
While the cafe remains closed, the property is still operational. The team asks that people visit the animal park, MiniGolf, Horse Climb, and gift shop which are still open as normal, to support.
“The park is still open, its just the cafe so in the meantime if food trucks want to come on weekends, school & public holidays and feed the people that would be great.”
They have also let their followers know that patrons who have booked functions at their cafe will be contacted as soon as possible.
“If there are any places locally hiring junior staff, I have 16 cafe staff that don’t have a job. I’m truly heartbroken for my staff above everything,” the team has said.
The community’s support has extended beyond donations. Sacred Siren Tattoo Studio has announced they will be doing $100 rocking horse tattoos for the remainder of September, donating 50% of the proceeds directly to The Rocking Horse to help get them back on their feet.
“They have not asked for this help! But we want to help in anyway we can.. let’s support local and give the next generation the beautiful memories of visiting The Big Rocking Horse!” the Studio said on Facebook.
If you are a business looking for warm staff, contact The Rocking Horse via telephone: (08) 8389 1085 or email: [email protected]
What: The Big Rocking Horse Cafe
Where: 452 Torrens Valley Rd, Gumeracha SA 5233
When: 9am to 5pm, seven days a week
For more information, click here.
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