THE Mirboo North community are heavily feeling the aftermath of the catastrophic storms that swept through their town in February; with many still working tirelessly to repair their homes and re-build their businesses – including owners of the Mirboo North Garden Centre, Gino Castellano and Karen Haw.
Gino and Karen have owned the local nursery for over 20 years and in an interview with the Sentinel Times, they devastatingly expressed that they lost everything.
“When I returned to the nursery after the horrific hailstorm, everything was destroyed. There wasn’t a leaf in place,” said Gino.
“The force of the wind broke pots, destroyed established plants, and pushed over a truck. The power lines and trees were down across the streets - blocking the road to the nursery for five days.”
The community rallied around each other during the initial impact, setting up working bees to clear nearby properties and Gino and Karen’s staff volunteered their time in the clean-up despite also losing their employment during this time.
The community support has played a crucial role in the recovery process, and to show their support for Gino and Karen is Jenny and John Kerville – rock n’ roll dancing instructors at the Dakers Centre, Leongatha.
Also known as J & J, the couple provide rock n’ roll lessons to the community every Thursday night - a social club that Gino and Karen joined six years ago, when they decided to learn to dance.
Jenny and John hold two open rock n’ roll dance nights every year, and on Saturday, April 6 the pair invited the community to not only join a night of dance but collaborated with local businesses to hold a major fundraiser in support of Gino and Karen to help re-build the Mirboo North Garden Centre.
“We have seen tremendous support from local businesses donating raffle prizes, and items for a silent auction,” said Jenny.
“The wonderful support resulted in us raising $3863.25 for Karen & Gino.”
The Dakers Centre, Leongatha was vibrant on Saturday evening, with everyone dressed to impress – the music loud and all up on their feet dancing to live music for a night of rock n’ roll.
The severity of the storms impact caused devastation to homes and small businesses and without the generous support from their local community, Gino and Karen said they would have had to say goodbye to their nursery.
“Dancing brings people together and we’re just so grateful for this community.”
