Fundraiser launched after fire destroys Nanango family home

A NANANGO man and his two sons have been forced to sleep in their shed, after a tragic accident left their house in ashes.

The family of three have been left sleeping in the shed after the house fire last week. Photo: Facebook/Ken Bankier

LAST week, a fire tore through the home of Ken Bankier and his two boys, Dylan, 18, and Codey, 10, destroying most of their property and damaging the integrity the house they've come to love over the past 10 years.

The fire was the latest hit in what was become a hellish number of years for the family of three, starting with the sudden and tragic death of Mr Bankier's wife Mel two years ago.

Kim French, Mr Bankier's sister, was standing by his side when he made the phone call to his insurance company and received the shocking news that insurance on the house had been discontinued without his knowledge.

"Nothing is covered," Ms French said.

"I was standing with him when he rang the insurance and they said there had been some change when Mel had passed away. Ken was under the belief that it had been coming out annually."

To spare Mr Bankier and his two boys the heartache of staring at the burnt remains of the life they had built, Ms French said the family set them up in a hotel for the night.

While possible for the first night, the funds are not there to continue paying for hotel accommodation until the damage can be fixed.

"Basically he is living in his shed at the moment. We managed to drag everything out of the house that was still of any value and put it into one of his sheds," Ms French said.

"Having said that, all the electrical appliances are gone, the whole kitchen is gone, TV's are gone."

"He's cooking food on the barbecue at the moment, but obviously doesn't have anywhere to keep food cold.

"I'm not even sure whether he managed to salvage enough doona's and bedding."

With unemployment skyrocketing in Australia, Mr Bankier is currently unable to find work, creating another obstacle for the family to overcome.

"Keeping employment in that area is really tough. It's a really small community without many job prospects. But also, with Codey having autism, it makes it really difficult to hold a job."

"He doesn't have any family up there. It's just him and the boys and they do the best they can."

 

Kim French started the fundraiser to help her brother, Ken, and his two boys Dylan and Codey (pictured), rebuild their home. Photo: contributed/Kim French.

To help her brother and nephews rebuild their home, Ms French has launched a Go Fund Me page, which aims to raise enough money to pay for an electrician and plumbers, and install a new kitchen.

The Fundraiser has currently reached $875 of a $10 000 goal.

Ms French describes her brother as a person who would go above and beyond to lend a helping hand to anyone who needed it and hopes that others will do the same for him.

The Go Fund Me page can be found here.

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